The NBA is back and back with a bang, as the Denver Nuggets beat the Los Angeles Lakers 119-107 to kick off the new NBA season in Denver, Colorado. Wins and losses begin to be calculated on Tuesday night after months of player movement, trade requests, training camp, and the pre-season. It seems an eternity ago since the Nuggets beat the Miami Heat in game 5 of the 2023 NBA Finals back in June. To win the first championship title in franchise history but over four months later, it is time to do it all over again.
In a repeat of the Western Conference finals, the reigning champion Nuggets and the Lakers faced off to start the season. The Lakers were attempting to convey that this isn't the same squad that was swept in the West finals the previous season, meanwhile, the Nuggets raised their championship banner and accepted their rings before the game.
Cause for celebration:
There was a great sense of incredible energy in the Ball Arena before tip-off, as pre-game the NBA champions the Denver Nuggets kicked off the 2023/2024 season with the ring ceremony and the raising of the 2023 championship banner. It was a momentous occasion for the Nuggets fan base for whom some have been waiting a lifetime to see a banner raised into the rafters, as for the first time in history, it is their team on top of the NBA summit, it is their team that are called champs. It is their team with the target on their backs. And the pre game ceremony was everything you can imagine from these season opening ceremonies, all the glitz and the glam, the pyro and the strobe light display. But let's face it, we would not have it any other way, because this is how NBA champions should be celebrated.
Story of the game:
The Denver Nuggets took charge in the early going and then maintained that throughout and although there was a bit of a fight back from the Lakers, the Nuggets took the win in the opening game of the season.
Jamal Murray finished with 21 points and six assists, while two-time MVP Nikola Jokic recorded a triple-double with 29 points, 13 rebounds, and 11 assists. Aaron Gordon finished with seven rebounds and fifteen points. In addition to 20 points from Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Michael Porter Jr. finished with 12 points and 12 rebounds. The Nuggets have defeated the Lakers in six straight games, including a four-game sweep in the Western Conference finals the previous year.
After seeing the banner hoisted to the rafters and getting their championship rings, the Nuggets emerged inspired. Four minutes into the first quarter, they led by six points thanks to a 12-2 run, and they continued to add to that margin.
The Lakers' star big man, Anthony Davis, scored 17 points in the first half before being shut out in the second half. Although they spent most of the previous season overhauling the supporting cast, Taurean Prince, a new acquisition, excelled with 18 points and four 3-pointers. Also for Los Angeles, D'Angelo Russell added 11 points and Austin Reaves scored 14.
It is a tough start for the Lakers, who have now lost six straight to the Nuggets. The standout player was James who is playing in his 21st season in the NBA looked as athletic as ever.
The Lakers, who started the previous season with five straight losses and lost ten of their first twelve games, were defeated to start this season that was despite James dropping 21 points and eight rebounds.
It was a disappointing mix bag of a game for Anthony Davis, who signed a new $186 million 3-year contract extension back in August. He had a great first half going toe-to-toe with Jokic but then did not score a single point in the entire second half. And with a minute to go in the game he looked bemused on the bench, clearly searching for answers to what went wrong in that second half.
In the second half, Los Angeles closed the gap to five points, but the Nuggets rallied late in the third quarter to take a 16-point advantage. The Lakers ended the quarter with nine points, and Russell's 3-pointer put the score at 87-80 going into the fourth.
Following a 13-0 run that started at the end of the third quarter, the Lakers scored the opening four points of the fourth quarter, cutting an 18-point lead to three points at 87-84. With 7:19 remaining, Jokic gave Denver an 11-point lead when he sank a jumper, an 18-footer off a feed from Caldwell-Pope, and a 3-pointer.
Los Angeles answered with a 3-pointer from Murray, another mid-range shot from Caldwell-Pope, and a dunk by Gordon to make it 110-96. Los Angeles narrowed the gap to 11 points, but Jokic's layup and Porter's 3-pointer sealed the victory.
The Nuggets will play the Grizzlies in Memphis on Friday when they return to action. On Thursday, the Lakers will play the Phoenix Suns. This will be James' first meeting with Kevin Durant in the regular season since Christmas Day 2018.