LeBron and AD React to Narrow Game 1 Loss to Denver

Denver completed with a 132-126 Sport 1 win over the Lakers in entrance of their dwelling crowd, retaining their now 7-0 playoffs win streak at Ball Area.

LA trailed by 21 factors within the second half, earlier than reducing the result in simply three factors late within the fourth however couldn’t come up clutch within the dying seconds.

“We gotta perceive that we gotta begin from the tipoff,” LeBron mentioned postgame. “They punched us within the mouth to start out. They’d extra offensive rebounds than we had whole rebounds within the first half. ..They killed us within the quick break within the first half, it was ten for ten from the free throw line. I do know the sport is received in 48 minutes however they set the tone within the first 24 minutes and we was taking part in catch up for the following 24.

“Within the postseason, it doesn’t matter when you reduce it to at least one otherwise you’re down 20,” LeBron continued. “You lose, you lose. They’re 1-0 and we have now to come back again with desperation occurring into Sport 2. We’ve got to play higher, we have now to rebound higher. I believed we did a very good job of not turning the ball over and that’s one factor we’ve been very aware about within the postseason however we’ve been higher in transition, tonight we wasn’t that nice.”

Anthony Davis completed the night time with an enormous 40 factors, ten rebounds and three assists, whereas LeBron had 26 factors and 9 assists.

However Austin Reaves led the Lakers’ comeback. He got here up with loads of large performs and recorded 23 factors (11 of these within the fourth) to go together with eight assists.

One of many actual shining lights for LA was Rui Hachimura, who switched onto guarding Nikola Jokic within the fourth and Davis was requested postgame if they’d use that matchup once more within the collection because it appeared to work.

“We did find yourself liking it,” Davis mentioned. “Staying with it for some time, perhaps one thing we go to Sport 2. However simply excited about it proper now, it’s one thing that we wish to even have – me roaming. It was a very good adjustment however…we’ll work out methods to be higher.”

Sport 2 of the Lakers-Nuggets collection will happen on Thursday, Might 18 at 5:30PM PDT at Ball Area.

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