Denver Outlasts Lakers in Overtime Thriller to Win Game 1

The Denver Nuggets outlasted the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday night in overtime to steal Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals behind a stellarperformance from star center Nikola Jokic.

The Lakers jumped out to an early lead but the Nuggets clawed their way back into the game behind Jokic’s scoring and playmaking. Los Angeles maintained a slim advantage through most of the second half before Denver took the lead late in the fourth quarter. The Lakers’ LeBron James tied the game with a clutch shot in the final seconds to send it to overtime.

In the extra period, Jokic came alive with 9 points as the Nuggets outscored the Lakers by 11 points to claim a thrilling Game 1 victory. Jokic finished with 30 points, 9 rebounds and 9 assists. James scored a game-high 30 points with 6 assists and 4 rebounds. Anthony Davis added 27 points for the Lakers in the losing effort.

The Nuggets’ resiliency and belief that they could come back from any deficit was on full display in this game. They continually answered every Lakers’ run and never let the momentum fully shift. With the victory, Denver has stolen home court advantage from the heavily favored Lakers in the series.

Nuggets Hang on for Exciting OT Win

The Nuggets earned a hard-fought victory by refusing to back down whenever the Lakers made a run. The Lakers tied the game with mere seconds left to force overtime but Denver remained poised and took control in the extra period.

Lakers Fall Short Despite Herculean Efforts from Duo

Despite stellar performances from LeBron James and Anthony Davis, the Lakers could not convert enough of their late game opportunities in regulation and overtime to secure the win at home.

The Nuggets showed grit and perseverance to win Game 1 and put pressure on the Lakers in this series.Denver will look to take a commanding series lead in Game 2 on Thursday.