The Los Angeles Lakers ran into a Denver Nuggets buzzsaw at the outset of the 2023 Western Conference Finals. They adjusted and fought back, but it wasn't quite enough. The Nuggets prevailed, 132-126. For the first time in the NBA Playoffs, the Lakers failed to steal Game 1 on the road.

Seeding aside, the Lakers and Nuggets are easily the two best teams in the West. The Nuggets have the most efficient offense in the bracket, steered by Nikola Jokic. The Lakers have the most formidable defense, anchored by Anthony Davis, the best defender in the playoffs.

All eyes were on the heavyweight matchup in the middle. It lived up to the billing.

Jokic grabbed 16 boards in the first half and finished with 34 points on 12-for-17 shooting (3-for-3 from 3), 21 rebounds, 14 assists, and two blocks. AD tallied 40 points (14-for-23 FG, 11-for-11 from the line), 10 rebounds, three steals, and two blocks.

“He just makes everybody on his team better,” said Austin Reaves (23 points). “He's the key of being a really good star that helps others. Hats off to him.”

Ultimately, the Lakers can't stop Jokic, and they can't downsize the Nuggets. But, here are a few reasons why they should be optimistic about Game 2.

3. Rui Hachimura

Hachimura was pivotal against the Memphis Grizzlies but then went quiet against the Golden State Warriors. It looks like he could play a major role against Denver.

Hachimura finished with 17 points on 8-for-11 shooting and a team-high +10. He seized upon the Nuggets' defensive approach, which opens up the midrange. His underrated size effectively checked Jokic in the fourth quarter, enabling the Lakers to make a run as AD played safety/switched onto Aaron Gordon.

“Something that we just went to, a little adjustment,” said Davis. “We did end up liking it. Stayed with it for a while. Maybe something we go to in Game 2. … But, just thinking about it right now, just something we like — to also have me roaming.”

Los Angeles won the fourth quarter, 34-26. Jokic didn't score in the final frame until late free throws.

“It's different than last series,” said Rui. “(The Warriors) were very small and quick and had a lot of shooters. This series, the point guard is 6'6. Everybody is 6'10, 6'8. … I like the lineup for sure.”

Hachimura said the coaching staff prepped him for the assignment.

“It was a part of our gameplan. The coaches told me that I'm gonna guard Jokic. I think it was a good plan. I think the second half we did a pretty good job on him.

“I'm ready. I'm always ready,” he added. “They are very big and we need size.”

The Hachimura move is apparently one of several tactics Ham is planning to deploy on Jokic.

“There’s no one person that’s gonna stop him,” Ham said about the two-time MVP. “It has to be done by committee. You have to switch up matchups at times, and you have to switch up coverages. … It’s still that ultimate chess game. We were comfortable with the results — gave us a chance to get back into the game. … If we need to go back to it, it’s there. Along with several other things we didn’t unveil tonight.”

The Nuggets will counter, as well.

2. Starting lineup clarity

Ham played another (expected) card that did not reap rewards: Starting small.

Ham's logic was not unsound: Entering Tuesday, lineups with Dennis Schroder, Austin Reaves, and D'Angelo Russell had the highest net rating (14.3) among three-player combos for the Lakers in the playoffs. The Lakers wanted to capitalize on rest and pocket a win before the series' every-other-day cadence kicks in. Three guards would presumably force Jokic to stick on AD. The Lakers could beat size with speed.

Alas. It worked in Game 6 against the Warriors, when Schroder stifled Stephen Curry and helped the Lakers jump out to a fast start. It backfired against the Nuggets. Denver built an 18-point first-quarter lead and dominated the glass. The Lakers trailed by as many as 21 points in the first half and gave up 72 by halftime.

“It took us a half to get into the game, and that was pretty much the ballgame right there,” said LeBron. “They punched us in the mouth to start. “I know the game is won in 48 minutes. But they set the tone in 24 minutes.”

“We just wasn't locked in, we wasn't in tune.”

LeBron likes to call Game 1s “feel-out” games. Learning what doesn't work is productive. The Lakers need to play bigger. Look for Ham to start Hachimura in Game 2.

Meanwhile, D'Angelo Russell — my X-factor for the series — can't be this irrelevant. The Lakers will not advance if DLo has eight points and Jamal Murray has 31.

“I felt we did a great job on D’Angelo Russell — so great that he wasn’t even in the game much in the second half,” boasted Michael Malone.

(Russell would be an obvious candidate to be relegated to the bench instead of Schroder, but the Lakers are reportedly worried they might “lose” DLo, per ESPN.)

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1. Intangibles

Despite a subpar first half and the Nuggets' hot shooting, the Lakers found themselves within three points when LeBron took an ill-fated triple with 45.2 seconds left.

The Lakers could have thrown in the towel and rested up for another game in high altitude. Instead, they chipped away — a reflection of their unceasing resiliency and, more tellingly, the state of LeBron and AD's bodies. Davis played 42 minutes. LeBron played 40. Either one could have taken their foot off the gas.

The Lakers lamented their initial effort but credited themselves for tightening the screws.

“We have to rebound better,” said LeBron. “Some of them were effort plays, some of them were just out of reach. (Jokic) had six offensive rebounds in the first quarter. He had six offensive rebounds for the game. So that just lets you know that we got more and more in tune of what we need to do.”

The Nuggets outrebounded the Lakers by 17.

“First half was really ugly, to say the least,” admitted Reaves. “But we got it going in the second half. … We really just played harder. That was the common denominator.”

Ham concurred.

“We had multiple bodies just standing around,” said Ham. “No one is seeking out a hit … Couple of times the ball just dropped to the ground and someone just swooped in from their team and grabbed it. … We gave them way too many second-chance points, offensive rebounding opportunities, and 50/50 balls.”

Effort has rarely been an issue for these Lakers. Don't expect it to be on Thursday. They've yet to lose consecutive games in the playoffs for a reason.

“They’re up 1-0 and we have to come back with desperation going into Game 2,” said LeBron. “We'll be better. We know we didn't play up to our capabilities in the first half. … But you know we'll be better in Game 2, that's for sure.”