Lakers vs. Nuggets final score, results: Nikola Jokic records impressive triple-double as Denver takes Game 1
Led by two-time MVP Nikola Jokic, the top-seeded Nuggets take a 1-0 lead over the Lakers in the Western Conference Series after clinching a 132-126 win at the Ball Arena in Denver.
The Nuggets entered the competition with a 6-0 home record in the postseason while the Lakers had recorded away wins in Game 1 of their previous two series. The Lakers were as much as 21 points behind in the second half before reducing the lead to three with minutes left.
Jokic was unstoppable for three quarters of the game before Rui Hachimura switched to the Serbian two-footer in the last quarter with great defensive impact. Jokic still finished the game with 34 points, 21 rebounds and 14 assists, but his fourth-round fadeout will be something to watch in this series.
Jamal Murray dropped 31 points while Bruce Brown picked up 16 points from the Nuggets’ bench and played a big role throughout the competition. At the Lakers, Anthony Davis led by 40 points and was neck and neck with Jokic.
LeBron James had 26 points and nine assists, but the late-game agitator was Austin Reaves. Reaves made big play after big play, grabbing 23 points, including 11 in the fourth, and eight assists.
Sporting News followed live scores updates and highlights from throughout Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals.
MORE: Why Anthony Davis-Nikola Jokic match will decide Western Conference Finals
Lakers vs. Nuggets score
| team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | f |
| lakers | 25 | 29 | 38 | 34 | 126 |
| nuggets | 37 | 35 | 34 | 26 | 132 |
Live updates Lakers vs Nuggets, highlights from Game 1
(All times Eastern.)
11:20 p.m. END OF FOURTH QUARTER — LeBron fires off a prayer of three, but it goes unanswered. The Nuggets will take a 1-0 lead in the series after a 132-126 win.
11:20 p.m. — Austin Reaves comes in and plays an erratic pass to LeBron James, who carelessly plays the ball in front of Jokic, who knocks it away. Sales LA! The Lakers have to foul and do that. Jokic goes to the line and separates it. The score is now 132-126 with 10.9 seconds remaining.
11:18 pm — Jokic’s clutch free throws put the Nuggets back up a five-game lead.
11:17 pm — Reaves responds with a triple again! It turned into a tennis game. Score back and forth. 129-126.
11:13 p.m. — What an incredibly broken piece! What did we just see?
11:13 p.m. — Jokic is goalless in this quarter so far!
11:08 pm — Rui Hachimura has switched to Jokic and the Serbian star has gone cold. He drops the ball on the ground less and creativity has waned in his game.
A HUGE three from Reaves cuts it down to three and we have a game to go!
11:05 p.m. — A soft all against Caldwell-Pope sends Reaves up to play, he does both and the difference is down to seven.
11:01 pm — Caldwell-Pope and Schroder trade threes as this game goes into winning time and the Nuggets have a 12 lead. Lots of time for LA
10:53 pm — A challenge for smart coaches by Michael Malone. A collision between Jamal Murray and Schroder off the ball was Murray’s fifth. Malone hopes the foul is assigned to Jokic or wiped out altogether. The strategy works and the personal foul is scored on Jokic instead, his third.
10:50 p.m. — Jamal Murray disappears! Nuggets cut the lead 118-104.
10:25 p.m. — A three-pointer from Austin Reaves brings new excitement to this game, and now a LeBron pass to Rui Hachimura for the cracker takes the Nuggets’ lead to single digits.
22:25 START OF FOURTH QUARTER – LeBron James pushes to the basket for the and-one. The three-pointer was not there for LA. If they want to come back on this, they need to put the brakes on things at the post.
10:25 p.m. END OF THIRD QUARTER — Of course it goes down! Davis just stares at Jokic after that punch. The joker lets go of the buzzer and the Nuggets take a 106-92 lead. The only positive for the Lakers is the fact that they won their first quarter of the game: 38-34. The lead is a manageable 14 points, but it feels like it’s significantly more.
10:25 p.m. — Brown throw it down! Bruce Brown now has 16 points off the bench.
10:22 pm — Nikola Jokic now has his sixth triple-double in the 2023 playoffs, making him the second-most triple-doubles in a single postseason, tied with Magic Johnson (1982) and Draymond Green (2019). Only Wilt Chamberlain (7 in 1967) recorded more.
10:10 p.m. — A Jokic threesome extends the Nuggets’ lead to 21 points. What’s amazing is that Jokic’s direct opponent Anthony Davis has 26, but that tally seems invisible in comparison.
10:10 p.m. — Los Angeles scores, but they lose points the other way, making it impossible to trim Denver’s lead. They are around 90-70 and look physically and mentally drained.
22:05 START OF THIRD QUARTER — Jamal Murray starts the season with back-to-back threes and looks more like the same for the Nuggets.
9:52 PM END OF FIRST HALF — The Nuggets lead by 18 points at halftime. They shoot from the field 51% of the time. They lead the rebound scoring with 36-13. It’s all thanks to Nikola Jokic, who is proving unstoppable with 19 points, 16 rebounds, seven assists and two blocks.
LeBron James and Anthony Davis look exhausted as they make their way to the dressing room. Davis leads the Lakers by 18 points. James was usable with 11 points, eight rebounds and three assists — but the problem is the Lakers’ role players.
LA has had a surprise supporting star in previous series, but tonight there was nothing but the big two.
nuggets 72 | Lakers 54
21:47 — Lakers defensemen are powerless as they try to overcome Jokic’s handoffs. He catches the ball and then passes it to a teammate, and defenders can’t avoid his mammoth body. Jamal Murray took advantage of this and managed two pullups to end the half with 17 points.
21:43 — Michael Porter Jr. blocks Austin Reaves in the key lane and then sprints across the field to killer corner three. Porter Jr. is now in double digits with 10 points. Denver led 64-47.
21:36 — Jokic hits a three at the top of the arc after an offensive rebound from Aaron Gordon. Later, possession is followed by a baseline drive and a dunk. He has 15 points and the Nuggets lead by 12.
9:35 p.m. — What a pass from LeBron James! He’s the only Laker not intimidated by this heated ball arena crowd.
21:28 — Los Angeles is called into a game delay as Jokic jumps off the bench and Anthony Davis repeats his return to the game.
21:22 START OF SECOND QUARTER — A good defense leads to a better offense of the Nuggets. Bruce Brown completes two quick break layups and the Nuggets gain a 44-27 lead by controlling the pace of play. Brown leads all scorers with 11 points.
21:17 END OF FIRST QUARTER — Jokic has dominated every facet of the game. He has 8 points, 12 rebounds and 5 assists. LeBron has been the Lakers’ best player to date. James has eight points and four rebounds.
The big problem for LA is the 22-6 rebound differential and bank point gap. Denver’s Bruce Brown and company have 16 points compared to the Lakers’ substitutes, who have just two points.
nuggets 37 | Lakers 25th
21:09 — Two stabilizing baskets from LeBron James and a block on Bruce Brown slowed the game and highlighted the Nuggets’ lead for LA 34-23.
21:09 — There is a 20-3 rebound discrepancy in favor of the Nuggets. The Lakers NEED to get tougher. You look completely flat and breathless.
21:04 — Nikola Jokic grabs his 10th rebound in the first quarter and Baby Hook takes two points. Jokic already has eight points, 10 rebounds and four assists! 28-14
9.00 – Aaron Gordon just made Austin Reaves look very small. Gordon punched Reaves in the chest and put the ball in the hole. The Lakers are losing every game these days.
8:53 p.m. – James misses a layup and Jamal Murray flies the other way for a two count. Time out Lakers. That was a very lethargic start from LA. Is altitude a factor? 18-9, 7:14 left in the first round.
8:53 p.m. – Denver is already big on the boards, caught several offensive rebounds and, coupled with some hot shots, has a 14:7 lead with just under eight minutes to go.
20:51 — Due to a shot clock malfunction, they are not on the game board but on the ground in the corners of the field.
8:46 p.m. – Mirror Game 6 vs. the Warriors; The Lakers line up with LeBron James, Anthony Davis, Austin Reaves, D’Angelo Russell and Dennis Schroder.
The Nuggets have their standard lineup Nikola Jokic, Michael Porter Jr., Jamal Murray, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Aaron Gordon.
8:41 pm — Draft lottery results are in:
1. Spurs 2. Hornets 3. Trail Blazers 4. Rockets 5. Pistons 6. Magic 7. Pacers 8. Wizards 9. Jazz 10. Mavericks 11. Magic 12. Thunder 13. Raptors 14. Pelicans
8:25 p.m. — This game will take place shortly after the NBA Draft Lottery. The San Antonio Spurs secured the #1 pick.
7:10 p.m. — Playtime is getting closer. Anthony Davis and Austin Reaves are working hard to prepare.
What channel is Lakers vs. Nuggets on?
- Date: Tuesday May 16th
- TV channel: ESPN
- Live broadcast: Sling TV
Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals will be broadcast on ESPN. Viewers can also stream the game on Sling TV.
Fans in the US can catch the NBA Playoffs on Sling TV where they can now get $10 off their first month! Stream the sports you love from just $30 the first month with Sling Orange to catch all the games on TNT, ESPN and ABC. For games on NBA TV, subscribe to Sling Orange & Sports Extra for $27.50 for the first month. Local, regional lockdown restrictions apply.
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What time is Lakers vs Nuggets today?
- Date: Tuesday May 16th
- Time: 8:30 p.m. ET | 5:30 p.m. PT
Game 1 between the Lakers and Nuggets begins Tuesday, May 16 at approximately 8:30 p.m. The game will be played at Ball Arena in Denver.
MORE: In search of the 5th ring, LeBron proves everyone wrong… once again
Odds Lakers vs Nuggets
The Nuggets go into Game 1 as a 5.5-point favorite ahead of the Lakers.
| lakers | nuggets | |
| spread | +5.5 | -5.5 |
| money line | +180 | -225 |
Visit BetMGM for the full market.
Schedule Lakers vs. Nuggets
Here’s the full schedule for the Western Conference Finals series between Los Angeles and Denver:
| Date | Game | Time (ET)/Result | TV channel |
| May 16th | game 1 | 8:30 p.m. at Nuggets | ESPN |
| May 18th | game 2 | 8:30 p.m. at Nuggets | ESPN |
| May 20th | game 3 | 8:30 p.m. at Lakers | ABC |
| May 22 | game 4 | 8:30 p.m. at Lakers | ESPN |
| May 24th | Game 5* | 8:30 p.m. at Nuggets | ESPN |
| May 26 | Game 6* | 8:30 p.m. at Lakers | ESPN |
| 28th of May | Game 7* | 8:30 p.m. at Nuggets | ESPN |
*If necessary