DENVER (AP) — The Los Angeles Lakers are taking solace in their big second-half comeback that fell flat in the Western Conference Finals opener in Denver.
They’re not alone — the Denver Nuggets also feel like the furious Los Angeles rally has set up junk food for them as they head into Game 2 Thursday night at the Ball Arena.
“I told our guys this is the best possible position we can be in,” Denver coach Michael Malone said Wednesday. “We won Game 1, so we’re up 1-0. But there’s a lot we can clean up.”
Studying movies wasn’t much fun for either team Wednesday.
The Lakers scored 72 points in the second half on 67% shooting from the field and 90% from the free throw line while keeping the Nuggets to one fast-breaking bucket and finally slowing Nikola Jokic in the fourth quarter.
It wasn’t enough to overcome the big deficit or Jokic’s big night like Fragments held at 132-126.
Los Angeles senior Anthony Davis said the second-half turnaround has the seventh-seed Lakers hoping they can overcome home-court advantage from top-seed Denver just as they did against Memphis and Golden State in these playoffs.
“Oh yeah. We know what put us in that hole: no transmission, recoil,” said Davis. “They’re a physically strong team. They were very comfortable doing whatever they wanted. In the second half, we just forced our will, especially in that fourth quarter, playing Laker basketball. We were able to cut the lead.”
The Lakers were trailing by 21 points when they started play and couldn’t overcome the deficit.
Not only did Denver’s defense disappear after halftime, but Lakers coach Darvin Hamm found a way to slow Jokic’s performance. Rui Hachimura put on a Nuggets star in the fourth quarter allowing Davis to roam the edge.
A two-time NBA Most Valuable Player, Jokic was unstoppable in the opening two quarters. He joined Kevin Garnett as the only player in the last 25 years with 15 points, 15 rebounds and five assists in the first half. But in the fourth quarter, he was held without a basket and limited to three points and a pair of assists.
Malone quipped, noting that the strategy made for an “interesting story” because it kept D’Angelo Russell, who was playing really well, on the bench for the entire fourth quarter.
Hamm said he’ll continue to throw different appearances and big bodies at Jokic, who has six triple-doubles this playoff, including 34 points, 21 rebounds and 14 assists Tuesday night despite his quiet fourth quarter.
“We’ll definitely mix up some rivalries and throw different pitches at it in terms of coverage and see where we land,” Hamm said.
Malone may have been angry that the Nuggets stopped after leading 93-72, but the morning also brought a brighter mood because his players weren’t so full of egos from a blowout. They were laser focusing from the close call.
“It’s like a perfect storm,” Malone said, noting that the national uproar on Wednesday seemed to be about the Lakers leaving Ball Arena convinced they’d found the advantage in the Series.
“I bet you every red cent that Darvin Hamm would rather be up 1-0 than down 1-0,” said Malone. “So, for us to be able to watch the movie after winning and show all the things we did poorly, it’s a great situation to live in. We have a lot to improve on, and tomorrow night is another chance for us to do that.”
The Lakers’ lesson was more about the slow start than the hard finish.
“It’s the Western Conference Finals — you can’t relax in the games,” said Davis. “Even though they say, ‘Oh, Game 1 is a game that feels scary’ and everything like that, you never want to relax in a game, especially at this point in the season.”
LeBron James, for one, didn’t feel good about the Lakers making a game of him only to get knocked out anyway.
“In the postseason, it doesn’t matter if you cut it to one or it goes down by 20, if you lose, you lose,” James said. “They are 1 and 0 and we have to come back with desperation in Game 2. … We need to be better in all aspects of the game.”
From start to finish.
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AP sportswriter Pat Graham contributed.
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