Nikola Jokic stole the show in the Denver Nuggets Game 1 escape act against the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday night. The former back-to-back MVP stuffed the stat sheet in this one with 34 points on 12-of-17 shooting, 21 rebounds, 14 assists, two blocks, and three triples in 42 minutes of action as Jokic led the Nuggets to a hard-fought 132-126 victory over LeBron James and Co.
Perhaps equally impressive was the effort that Anthony Davis put in in this losing effort. AD came out to play in Game 1 as he battled Jokic toe-to-toe. Davis finished with a mind-blowing stat line of 40 points on 14-of-23 from the floor, to go along with 10 rebounds, three assists, three steals, two blocks, a three-pointer, and zero turnovers in 42 minutes of play. Thanks to his heroic play, AD now stands alone in Lakers franchise history with this type of numbers in an NBA Playoffs game (h/t StatMuse on Twitter):
The only Lakers in franchise history with
40+ PTS
10+ REB
2+ BLK
2+ STLin a playoff game. pic.twitter.com/RNF6x9QDnB
— StatMuse (@statmuse) May 17, 2023
Not even the likes of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar or Shaquille O'Neal were able to match these numbers throughout their respective careers with the Lakers. This just goes to show how outstanding Davis was on the evening. It's just a shame that his historic performance came at a loss.
You can't fault Davis and the Lakers for a lack of effort, though. After going down by as many as 21 points in the third quarter, LA came storming back to sensationally cut down the deficit to just three points in the dying minutes of the final frame. In the end, however, the Nuggets held on for a six-point victory.
Game 2 on Thursday can't come soon enough.
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