The Lakers, who gave the atmosphere in the first half, lost the game.
The Los Angeles Lakers lost 126-132 to the Denver Nuggets in Game 1 of the 2022-2023 NBA Western Conference Finals held at the Ball Arena on the 17th (Korean time).
LeBron James (203cm, F) scored 26 points, 12 rebounds and 9 assists, and Anthony Davis (208cm, FC) recorded 40 points, 10 rebounds, 3 steals and 2 blocked shots, but could not prevent the team from losing. In particular, it was regrettable that we could not control the opponent’s attack from the first quarter.
The Lakers were insecure from the start. Lebron scored the first goal as a breakthrough goal, but then conceded consecutively. There was even an error and I couldn’t control the opponent’s quick attack. The score gap continued to widen. In the middle of the first quarter, the gap widened to 16 points. However, Lebron’s performance narrowed the score gap.
In the second quarter, Davis actively attacked. He alone posted 12 points. In addition, Rui Hachimura (203cm, F) even scored. However, he could not control the opponent’s attack and gave up 35 points only in the second quarter. And at 4 minutes and 36 seconds from the start of the third quarter, Nikola Jokic (211cm, C) allowed a 3-point shot, widening the gap to 21 points.
But the Lakers didn’t give up. Lebron and Davis are back together again. In addition, Austin Reeves (196cm, G) added to the score. On defense, successive defense successes. Created a flow of pursuit.
The Lakers, riding on momentum, showed a different appearance in the second half. Players scored evenly on strong defense. The score gap, which had reached a 22-point gap, quickly narrowed. And 1:12 before the end of the game, LeBron’s free throw scored to make it 126-129.
But more than that was a bunch. LeBron’s shot missed and even an error came out. A foul operation was attempted, but Jokic made a successful free throw and the score gap widened again.
After losing the game, LeBron said, “It took us so long to start playing in earnest. At the beginning of the game, we played ball, not basketball. In the meantime, the opponent gave us a big blow. Opponents set the mood in the first half. The game was over after just chasing. This is the reason why we couldn’t clearly show our basketball.”안전놀이터
As LeBron said, the Lakers struggled in the early stages of the game and gave their opponents the atmosphere. But the second half was different. Although he gave 60 points to his opponent, he continued the pursuit until the end, showing tremendous firepower to score 72 points. However, the score gap at the beginning of the game was too large and could not turn the game over.