The Denver Nuggets beat the Los Angeles Lakers 119-107 in the first match of the 2023-2024 NBA, Wednesday (25/10/2023). Nikola Jokic created his first triple-double this season with 29 points, 11 assists and 13 rebounds.
Los Angeles Lakers against Denver Nuggets occurred at Ball Arena, Denver, CO. This match also marks the start of the 2023-2024 NBA season. Starting this season, the Denver Nuggets have the status of 2022-2023 NBA champions.
Starting the first quarter, both teams appeared convincing. The Denver Nuggets managed to take a 20-16 lead over the Lakers on Nikola Jokic’s lay-up. After scoring the final points, the hosts took a timeout with 6:07 remaining.
Reggie Jackson’s reverse layup managed to make it 29-18 and forced the Lakers to call a timeout. Reggie Jackson’s three-pointer closed the first quarter for the Nuggets to lead 34-20.
Nikola Jokic managed to lead the highest points tally in the first quarter with 10 points. Entering the second quarter, the Lakers seemed to have difficulty developing the game and penetrating the Nuggets’ defense. The efforts made by Lebron and his friends have not produced results.
Two consecutive three points from Davis and Reddish managed to reduce the deficit for the Lakers to 44-32. Jamal Murray again extended his lead to 60-48 over the Lakers, after making a layup that was blocked by Anthony Davis.
In this match, both teams played quite hard, it can be seen from the fact that both teams had a lot of physical contact between players. The Nuggets finished with a 63-54 lead. For the record, the Lakers scored 44.9 percent field goal success, while the Nuggets achieved 50 percent.
Entering the third quarter, the Lakers tried to catch up and maintain the deficit with a margin of 8 points. Aaron Gordon forced the Lakers to take a timeout after scoring two points with a layup. This point also extended the lead to 80-69. The Lakers had to close the third quarter trailing by 7 points.
The Nuggets’ solid defense was successful in withstanding the onslaught of the Lakers’ game. King James managed to score five points at the start of the fourth quarter, this also reduced the deficit to 92-89.
The pick and roll game played by Jokic and his friends paid off after the first timeout in the fourth quarter. This was proven by the 4 points created by Jokic and Caldwell-Pope after the timeout, 101-90.
The Joker aka Nikola Jokic succeeded in troubling the Lakers’ defense. The Serbian player is able to run and regulate the tempo of the game in the Lakers area. The Denver Nuggets successfully won the match 119-107. This victory is a positive start to the start of the 2023-2024 NBA.
