It was close, until it wasn’t.
The Lakers were even leading, up 60-57 at halftime, thanks to a logo triple from LeBron James before the buzzer, until a 20-4 Nuggets run broke open an 89-78 advantage at the end of three frames. Denver led Los Angeles by as many as 14 in that momentum-swinging third quarter, as former Laker Kentavious Caldwell-Pope splashed four 3-pointers to cap several tic-tac-toe possessions for the reigning champions, and eventually took home the Game 1 win, 114-103.
Denver’s synergy and continuity were on full display, its five-man lineup starring Nikola Jokiu0107 and Jamal Murray, with Caldwell-Pope, Aaron Gordon and Michael Porter Jr.