Las Vegas Review-Journal (Sunday)
Nuggets thrive, add to mastery of Lakers
Knicks ride balance to victory over 76ers
Nikola Jokic had 32 points and 12 rebounds as defending NBA champion Denver powered past Lebron James and the visiting Los Angeles Lakers 114-103 in their Western Conference playoff opener Saturday.
Two other Nuggets players posted double-doubles — Jamal Murray (22 points, 10 assists) and Anthony Gordon (12 points, 11 rebounds) — and Michael Porter Jr. added 19 points and eight boards.
James scored 27 points, and Anthony Davis had 32 points and 14 rebounds for the Lakers, who lost to the Nuggets for the ninth straight time. Denver handed James just his fourth loss in 17 first-round openers.
Kentavious Caldwell-pope, who scored all 12 of his points after halftime, made three 3-pointers in a 13-0 run the Nuggets used to seize control in the third quarter.
James ended a terrific first half in which he scored 19 points with a 32-foot 3-pointer to break a 57-all tie after the Lakers had blown a 12-point lead.
Denver’s 13-0 third-quarter run threatened to make it a laugher as the Nuggets stretched their lead to 15 in the fourth. But James made two free throws, Davis had a three-point play, and Taurean Prince a basket to cut the Lakers’ deficit to 96-88 with 7:17 left.
Denver is seeking to become the first team to successfully defend its NBA title since Golden State did it six years ago.
The Nuggets swept the Lakers in last season’s Western Conference finals, the next-to-last step Denver had to clear before claiming its first NBA title.
The Lakers haven’t beaten the Nuggets since Dec. 16, 2022. They’ll try again Monday in Game 2 at Ball Arena, where Denver is 34-8 this season.
James lost for just the 18th time in 80 first-round games. He lost a playoff opener for third time in his six seasons with the Lakers and fourth overall. His team also lost series openers in Round 1 in 2018 (Indiana over Cleveland), 2020 (Portland over the Lakers) and 2021 (Phoenix over the Lakers).
■ Knicks 111, 76ers 104: At New York, Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart each scored 22 points for second-seeded New York, and Deuce Mcbride led a big effort by the Knicks’ reserves with 21 points in the series opener.
Tyrese Maxey had 33 points and Joel Embiid 29 points, eight rebounds and six assists for seventh-seeded Philadelphia, which went ahead 78-72 after outscoring New York 32-14 to open the third quarter.
Embiid, limited to 39 games this season because of knee issues, exited briefly after appearing to reinjure his surgically repaired left knee on a dunk.
■ Timberwolves 120, Suns 95:
At Minneapolis, Anthony Edwards scored 18 of his 33 points in the third quarter and had nine rebounds for third-seeded Minnesota, which notched its first Game 1 home playoff win in 20 years.
Karl-anthony Towns had 19 points, Nickeil Alexander-walker 18 points and Rudy Gobert 14 points and 16 rebounds for the Timberwolves, who hit 20 of 22 free throws.
Kevin Durant scored 31 points for sixth-seeded Phoenix, which was outrebounded 52-28. That led to Minnesota’s 52-34 scoring edge in the paint.
■ Cavaliers 97, Magic 83: At Cleveland, Donovan Mitchell had 30 points and Jarrett Allen 18 rebounds for fourth-seeded Cleveland, which twice had a 20-point deficit cut to nine in the fourth quarter.
Paolo Banchero had 24 points and nine turnovers in his postseason debut for fifth-seeded Orlando, which shot 33 percent. The Magic got within 60-56 with 4:24 left in the third quarter.