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The Los Angeles Lakers and Denver Nuggets tipped off their best-of-seven Western Conference finals series Friday night after LeBron James led his team past the Houston Rockets in five games while the Nuggets were able to overcome a 3-1 deficit, for the second straight series, to upset the Los Angeles Clippers. While the Nuggets started off hot on the offensive end in Game 1, the Lakers were able to take control of the action in the second quarter and own a comfortable lead at the halftime break as a result.
The Lakers are in the Western Conference finals for the first time since 2010, when they won the second of back-to-back NBA titles. However, while the Lakers are 8-2 in this postseason, they have lost their series openers in the first round and in the conference semifinals. On the other hand, the Nuggets are in the Western Conference Finals for the first time since 2009, when they lost to the Lakers, 4-2. The Nuggets are the first team in NBA history to rally from two 3-1 series deficits in the same postseason. Follow along below for live analysis of Game 1.
Murray is enjoying this switching by the Lakers. It gets him an open 3 with Dwight several feet away.
Jokic very easily could’ve picked up No. 5 under the basket with that push on Dwight. He’s playing with fire here.
Jokic picks up his fourth foul but it’s going to be hard to sit him in the second half if the Nuggets want to have any chance
Dwight Howard is starting the second half over JaVale McGee. It makes sense considering how well he played in the second quarter, but the Lakers almost never did this during the season.
Vogel reminding the Lakers of the obvious at halftime: The Nuggets are known for second-half comebacks
Seventy at the break. #LakeShow@AntDavis23: 17 pts, 5 reb@KingJames: 15 pts, 5 ast, 4 reb pic.twitter.com/dwf5rAprZ7
Monte Morris has been terrific, making things happen for Denver with Murray and Jokic on the bench
Nuggets hanging around with three starters on the bench in foul trouble … good finish to the quarter for them
The Lakers continue running on made shots. They have 65 points on eight 3-pointers. That just doesn’t happen.
Murray picks up his third foul and he’ll join Jokic on the bench for the remainder of the half
if the Nuggets can keep this around 10 with Jokic on the bench for most, if not all, of the second quarter, they have to look at that as a win heading into the second half
Howard played only 16 minutes against Houston, but has been locked in here, looking bouncy. He already has 2 blocks and 2 steals in 4 minutes.
LeBron settles for jumpers too easily in the post. He wants defenses to send the double so he can kill them as a passer, but Denver seems willing to trust Jerami Grant on his own. That has to make him more aggressive as a scorer.
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