Nuggets news: Nikola Jokic reacts to 'impact' of being guarded by 7-footers

After the Game 1, Nuggets star Nikola Jokic admitted how he was stifled by L.A.'s three bigs, who made life very difficult for him on the evening.

Nikola Jokic did not have his best outing on Friday, as the Denver Nuggets suffered a 126-114 Game 1 loss to a powerhouse Los Angeles Lakers side. After the game, Jokic admitted how he was stifled by L.A.'s three bigs, who made life very difficult for him on the evening.

According to Jokic, the combination of Anthony Davis, JaVale McGee, and Dwight Howard played a key role in the Lakers' success on Friday night:

Nikola Jokic says all three of the Lakers bigs had an impact with JaVale bringing energy early, Anthony Davis with the scoring and Dwight Howard following that.

— Ohm Youngmisuk (@NotoriousOHM) September 19, 2020

McGee is 7-foot flat, while Davis and Howard are both listed at 6-foot-10. However, it's not improbable to think that both guys actually stand above seven feet. Even if they don't, they sure play like seven-footers with their length and athleticism. Jokic himself is 7-foot, but even he could not handle L.A.'s three-headed monster in Game 1.

McGee started the game for the Lakers, playing just 11 total minutes in this one. He failed to get on the scoreboard, but as Jokic implied, McGee's contributions for his team go way beyond the box score. The two-time NBA champ was also L.A.'s biggest cheerleader — as he always is — on the bench.

As for Howard, he checked in during a crucial juncture in the second period, and was very effective against Jokic. He pretty much put the Nuggets star in foul trouble early in the second period, which forced Jokic to sit out the remainder of the half. Howard was very efficient, logging 13 points on 4 of 5 shooting, to go with three boards, two steals, and two blocks in 16 key minutes off the bench.

Among all three bigs, however, Davis unsurprisingly had the best performance. He finished with a game-high 37 points on 12-of-21 from the floor. AD also grabbed 10 boards, and dished out 4 dimes, as Jokic and the rest of the Nuggets had no answer for him all night long.