Jokić of the Nuggets sinks the Lakers with a 34-21-14 triple-double in the first game of the Western finals | nba

Nikola Jokić recorded his sixth triple-double of these playoffs with 34 points, 21 rebounds and 14 assists, leading the Denver Nuggets to a 132-126 victory over the los angeles lakers in the opener of the Western Conference finals on Tuesday night.

Behind Jokić’s sizzling start and solid finish, and Jamal Murray’s 31 points, Denver beat the Lakers in Game 1 of a playoff series for the first time ever.

After a slow start, Anthony Davis had 40 points and 10 rebounds, and LeBron James finished with 26 points, 12 boards and nine assists. Austin Reaves chipped in 23 points and fueled LA’s desperate fourth-quarter run that nearly wiped out Denver’s 14-point cushion after three.

The Nuggets led by as much as 21, but the Lakers got within three points twice in the fourth quarter, once on Reaves’ 3-pointer at 124-121 and again on a pair of free throws by James that made it 129-126. with 1:12 remaining.

After Jokić made two free throws with 26 seconds remaining to give Denver a 131-126 lead, Murray stripped James of the ball as he was about to drive it to the rim and Jokić picked up the loose ball before being fouled with 10.9 seconds remaining. He hit one for two and James missed for 3 as the seconds ticked by.

Game 2 is Thursday night at Ball Arena, where the top-seeded Nuggets are 7-0 in the playoffs and 41-7 overall, the best home record in the league this season.