Lakers 107 vs 119 Nuggets, summary stats, scores and highlights | NBA Tip Off
The Denver Nuggets started their title defense in midseason form, downing the LA Lakers in a night that was filled with pregame celebrations and the championship ring ceremony. Nikola Jokic registered his first triple double of the season as the Nuggets held on for a 119-107 win from Ball Arena.
Champs gets their rings
There was plenty of celebrate in Denver, even before the Nuggets got their first win of the new campaign. The Championship banner was hung a Mile High and last year’s champions were presented with their rings pregame. Once the game tipped off the Nuggets were all about their business.
There was a lot of junk talked about the Lakers in Denver’s championship parade and in the weeks following the celebrations. The Lakers took stock of what was being said by the team that swept them in the Western Conference Finals and had a chance to send the Nuggets a message, but failed to do so.
LA came out early and took the lead, but that didn’t last long once LeBron James went to the bench midway through the first quarter. The Lakers went cold, shooting 1/8 with James on the bench, and the Nuggets were able to take the lead and stretch it to 18 in the second quarter thanks to a great start from Jokic, Jamal Murray and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope.
Jokic starts up where he left off
Jokic had 19 of his 29 in the first half, but the Lakers were hanging around. LeBron’s minutes were limited, scoring 21 in 29 minutes and when he was on the floor the Lakers were able to cut into the lead but could never draw within less than four.
Anthony Davis had 17 in the first half before scoreless in the second half. While the Lakers big man went quiet, Jokic turned it on in the fourth quarter and completed his triple double performance finishing the night with 29, 13 rebounds and 11 assists.
The Nuggets landed the first blow against a Lakers team that was itching to get revenge, but Denver will be ready for teams who are looking to knock them off their throne all season.
The lead was cut to four in the fourth quarter, but Jokic hit a big bucket three ball to pull away from the Lakers to end LA's run and reaffirm the Nuggets lead late in the fourth. The Serbian ended the night with 29, 13 and 11 assists.
KCP ended the night with 20 points and came up with some big plays down the stretch to push the Nuggets to their first win of the year.
Jokic picked up where he left off last year, scoring 19 first half points all the while dragging down rebounds, and getting everyone else involved.
The defense locked down the Lakers with LeBron on the bench in the first quarter, holding the visitors to 1/8 FGs and they stretched the lead out to 18.
The Nuggets went down early, but took the lead midway through the first quarter and wouldn't give it back. Jokic and Murray set the tone, but KCP got hot early on as well.
As alway the role players played a big part in the Nuggets win. Each of Denver's starters ended the night in double digits, including Michael Porter Jr who had a double double with 10 and 10 rebounds.
This is the ring that each and every member of the Nuggets will be taking home. The mountains aren't the only thing covered in ice in the Mile High City.
The big story tonight was the NBA is back, but in Denver they were just as excited about the championship ceremony putting a fitting end to last season with the presenting of the ring and the banner before turning the page and focusing on the new campaign.
IT'S ALL OVER!!!
The Nuggets start their title defense with a near wire to wire victory over the LA Lakers.
Jokic had 29, 13 and 11 for his first triple double of the season. All 5 starters were in double digits including Murray and KCP.
Picket makes the pull up jumper from the elbow.
Vincent with the crossover and the lay up down the left side of the lane.
Timeout Nuggets and Coach Malone will let his starters get a big applause from the fans at Ball Arena.
Porter Jr. get the tip in off the missed three from Jokic and we are under a minute to play from Denver.
Reaves to the line after the tech on KCP and he misses the FT, but hits both of his FTs from the KCP personal foul.
Jokic with the lay up after getting his own rebound that was actually an alley oop attempt.
We are under 3:00 from Denver.
James comes out of the timeout and gets the lay up to go AND 1!
LeBron misses the FT.
Porter Jr. 3 ball in the corner off the dish from Jokic and he's got his first triple double of the season!
Reaves with a big triple to keep the hope alive.
Gordon raises up and slams it off the dump off from Murray.
KCP pulls up from 20 feet and drills it from the elbow.
Murray drills the triple out of the timeout with a beautiful play drawn up.
James slashing to the bucket and he gets the lay in to go! Nuggets timeout after the lead dwindles down to 7.
James came off the bench and the Lakers turn on.
We have 5:15 to go from Denver.
Prince hits the three ball and that's a huge bucket to keep LA in the game.
Braun gets open underneath and Jokic found him for the lay up.
Reaves to the line after getting fouled by Braun and he hits one of two FTs.
Jokic gets it to go, this time from the elbow. He's got 27.
KCP hits the mid range jumper off the assist from Jokic. He's got 18 tonight.
Jokic strings a triple try from the top of the key off the Braun offensive board!
Timeout Lakers with 8:15 to go.
Wood to the line after the foul on Nnaji and he hits one of two.
Braun missed the first attempt down low but got the put back to drop over LeBron.
LeBron pulls up from downtown and drains it!
Murray pulls up from the mid range.
Reddish pulls down two offensive boards and gets the tip in off his own miss.
Gordon pulls up with the clock running down and he drills the triple!
Wood puts Braun in a spin cycle and slams it! 13-0 run for the Lakers.
LeBron spins baseline and Gordon swatted his shot but was called for goaltending.
WE ARE AT THE END OF THE 4TH QUARTER AND THE LAKERS ENDED THE THIRD ON A 9-0 TO CUT IT TO 7.
Russell drills the three ball after the defender backed off!
We are under a minute in the third quarter.
James slashes to the rack and slams it down on Murray.
Hachimura gets the slam off the dump off from Russell and the Nuggets take a timeout.
Vincent answers with a second straight bucket.
KCP with the mid range jumper off the Jokic assist and he's got 16 points tonight.
Jokic sticks a three and thats his first FG of this quarter!
Vincent makes up for his mistake wtih a step back three.
KCP with the steal and the slam after a sloppy pass from Vincent.
Gordon with a lay up and the Lakers will take a timeout with 4:52 after the Denver go back up by double digits.
KCP drills the three and the Nuggets pull the lead up to 9 points!
AD lost it on the way up and Hachimura was there to clean it up on the rebound.
Lobbed up by Murray and GORDON DROPS THE HAMMER!!!
Russell nails the three from the right wing of the assist from Reaves.
Murray in the corner for three after the long rebound from KCP!
Prince to the line after the foul on Porter Jr. and he hits both FTs.
Russell fouled by KCP and he hits one of two at the line.
Prince steps back and drills the triple try to end the 7-0 run.
Murray pulls up from the mid range and he's got 5 quick points to start the half.
Gordon on the lay up after Jokic registers another assist.
Play set up for Murray out of the timeout and he gets the bucket AND 1! FT is good after the foul on LeBron.
James releases to Prince of the rebound and Prince gets the lay up to go!
Timeout Nuggets less than a minute into the 2nd half!
Reaves with the steal and the slam to start the second half!
WE ARE BACK IN ACTION FOR THE SECOND HALF OF PLAY FROM DENVER!
The Nuggets are up by 9 in large part because of their shooting from DT, they are 7/17 from down down as opposed to LA's 4/13
Jokic started this season right where he left off last season, scoring 19 points and grabbing 9 rebounds and dishing 2 assists.
The Nuggets D held the Lakers to 1/8 shooting after LeBron went to the bench and they were able to turn defense to offense.
The Lakers got off to a quick start thanks to AD and LeBron, but LeBron would go to the bench late in the first quarter and LA would go cold.
WE ARE HEADED TO HALFTIME WITH THE NUGGETS LEADING BY 9 AFTER TWO QUARTERS FROM DENVER!!!
Russell breaks down court after the miss from Jokic and he got a wide open lay up to cut the lead to single digits.
James gets the contested rebound and takes it coast to coast for the lay up.
Hachimura answers back with a quick drive to and lay up off the dish from Russell.
KCP with points off turnovers after the giveaway from Reaves.
Murray hits the FT out of the break after Hachimura let him redo it because he stepping in the lane early.
Porter Jr. finds Murray running the break and he gets the lay up to fall and he's going to the line for an AND 1 after the break with 2:07 to go in the first half.
Porter Jr. gets his own rebound and gets the put back to go.
Prince finds Davis down low and the lead is under 10 again!
Reaves to the line after the foul on KCP and he hits both.
Davis on the turn around hook shot over JOkic and he's got 15 first half points. Those two are going at it on every possession.
Jokic to the line after the foul on Hachimura with the Nuggets in the bonus.
Davis to the line after Jokic picks up his second foul and AD hits both FTs.
Wood finishes with a flush after the Reaves assists down low.
Gordon going hard to the rack and finishes at the iron .
Reaves bangs one off the board from the FT line and it rolls in.
Jokic drills the three ball of the dish from Gordon and he's already got 17!
Prince with the drive, fakes the pass and gets an open lay up down the lane.
KCP fouled in transition by Reddish and he hits both FTs on his first trip to the line.
Jokic working himself into the middle of the paint, he gets the hook shot and the foul, but misses the FT.
Davis with back to back buckets this one from the block.
Braun to the line after trying to posterize Wood and he hits one of two FTs.
Davis drills the three ball after the dish from Russell!
Jokic with the lay up from close range.
Reddish drills the three ball to cut into the lead after the dish from Russell.
Lebron slashing down the lane after going coast to coast and he lays it up and in which will force a Nuggets timeout with 8:38 to go in the first half.
Nnaji with the oop after the alley from Jackson!
LeBron lowers his head and goes right to the rack for the tough lay in off the glass.
Jackson with the fake and LeBron went flying and he drops the three ball from the corner!
Wood backs down Braun and hits the baby hook for his first points as a Laker.
Watson starts the second quarter with a three ball and the lead is up to 17 early on!
JACKSON ENDS THE QUARTER WITH A STEP BACK THREE BALL AS THE BUZZER SOUNDS TO END THE FIRST QUARTER!!!
It's the defending champions, all over the Lakers after 12 minutes.
Nnaji goes into the body of Hayes and he heads to the line where he hits both FTs.
Russell gets into the paint and goes up and under for the floater in the lane.
Vincent comes out of the time out and misses the three. LA has gone 1/8 since James went to the bench.
Timeout Lakers with 2:50 to go in the first quarter.
Jokic found Jackson on a beautiful pass and back cut and he hits the reverse lay up.
Reeves ends the scoreless spell with a lay up and the Lakers are back within 10.
KCP was wide open in the corner and he drills the three ball from the right side!
Entry pass to Jokic from Gordon and he spins and finishes with a hook shot.
Jokic gets the offensive rebound and put back again. He's got a couple of those already.
We are heading to our first media timeout here from Denver with the Nuggets 20-16 midway through the first quarter.
Murray dumps it off and he finds Jokic for the wide open lay up. Jokic has a quick 6 points to start the game.
LeBron with the rebound and he goes coast to coast, soaring to the rim for the transition lay up.
AD working on the block and he bullies his way to the iron on the floater.
KCP off the curl and he drills the catch and shoot from the FT line.
Davis to the FT line after the foul on Jokic and he hits both.
Porter Jr. on back to back buckets, this time going right at the rack for the slam!
Porter Jr. drills the three ball, and the Nuggets pull ahead from downtown!
Gordon gets the rebound on one end and finishes around the iron on the other.
Nokic into the paint after the offensive board and he gets the put back and one!
Missed FT.
LeBron with a lay up around the rim for his first bucket of his 21st season.
Murray is off to a nice start with five quick points after his first triple of the night.
Prince with another triple and he's got two quick ones.
Murray gets into the paint and he drills the floater.
Prince in the corner for three off the feed from James!
Jokic gets it on the perimeter, takes a couple dribbles and hits the hook shot in the lane.
Davis start the season off with a high flying slam down the lane on the alley oop!
THE NBA SEASON IS OFFICIALLY UNDERWAY!!!
It's a rematch of the Western Conference Finals. Nuggets vs. Lakers. Jokic vs. LeBron.
Here we go.
Title odds on opening night
We usually do odds to the game in the preview to tip off but tonight, we are looking ahead. Way ahead. These are the odds on favorites to win the NBA Title come June.
- Celtics +380
- Bucks +380
- Nuggets +550
- Suns +550
- Lakers +1300
Ring presentation
Tonight is the night the Nuggets have been waiting for since hoisting the Larry O’Brien Trophy back in June. They will be presented their championship rings, and see the championship banner hung in the rafters of Ball Arena. This is what the rings the Nuggets will be presented with tonight. I can’t say they are my favorite rings I’ve ever seen, but the face is pretty sweet and there is plenty of ice to keep Denver cool even in the dead of summer.
MVP of the offseason
According to Nikola Jokic, this was the worst offseason he’s had. You would think that the NBA All-Star returning home for a few months full of fun would have been just what he needed to take his mind off of basketball for a while. When asked about his offseason, he said he wasn’t so pleased with his time off because it was his shortest offseason of his career, having played a couple extra months due to the Nuggets inconvenient run to the Finals. Some of these things I think Jokic says in jest, although I truly believe that he isn’t one of those guys who is solely obsessed with basketball and nothing else. Either way, what he is able to do on the court is magic and frankly if he is enjoying himself in the offseason far from a basketball court, I applaud him even more.
Nuggets trash talk noted
As if the 4-0 thrashing of the Lakers wasn’t enough the Nuggets seemed to have a post title agenda of talking trash to LA. From the Championship parade in Denver, and into the offseason, there were constant mentions of LeBron and the Lakers, and some of the players couldn’t help to feel slighted. Malone was referenced as the “Lakers daddy” and then saying he was thinking about retiring after LeBron stole headlines from the NBA Finals when publicizing that last season could have been his last.
Multiple MVPs and now NBA champion
The two time MVP and arguably the greatest basketball player on the planet is back at his day job after a summer full of partying, horse racing, and not much basketball. Nikola Jokic brought the Nuggets their first title in franchise history, but this isn’t a team built to win just one title. Jokic and Denver have their sights set on a dynasty and there aren’t many who would bet against them. Jokic is a walking triple double and tore through the Lakers in the Western Conference Finals. Last season he put up 24.5, 11.8 rebounds and 9.8 assists and finished just shy of a third straight MVP award.Tonight he gets his ring, although he doesn’t really seem like the type of guy that likes to flash his bling.
Two decades of dominance
The King. The Chosen One. The GOAT? Lebron James is entering his 20th season in the NBA and is still one of the top players in the league. He may not be able to go 82 games at 40 minutes a game, but LeBron still has as much ability to take over a game as the game’s youngest and brightest stars. Last year he averaged 28.9 points, 8.3 rebounds and 6.8 assists, are tops in the league in each respective category. There is no doubt that Anthony Davis is the focal point of this team, but LeBron is not a bad second option for Darvin Ham and the Lakers.
Nuggets last year
The Nuggets started hot and ended hot. After years of dealing with injuries to Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr., they finally got healthy and rode their two time MVP to the franchises first NBA Finals. Nikola Jokic didn’t win the MVP last year, but as he has said he doesn’t bother with individual awards, instead he targets the final prize. The Nuggets earned the top seed in the West, and tore thorough the playoffs losing just three games on their way past the Timberwolves, Suns and Lakers. They met the Heat in the Finals and sealed their first title in franchise history taking down Jimmy Butler and Miami in Game 5 from Denver.
Lakers last year
The Lakers overcame a disastrous start to the season to rebound in the final few months, make the Play-In and then went made a run all the way to the WCF. It wasn’t an easy ride to the postseason, especially in the early going, but the Lakers made some midseason changes that made a huge impact. Departures such as Russell Westbrook and Juan Toscano-Anderson made way for contributors like D’Angelo Russell, Jarred Vanderbilt and Malik Beasley and that made a huge impact for the Lakers. They ended the final month and a half of the season as one of the hottest teams in the league, but that was only enough to set them up with date in the Play-In Tournament. They got through that and went all the way to the Western Conference Final before getting swept by the Nuggets.
We are live from Ball Arena
Hello everyone and welcome to the Mile High City as we embark on brand new NBA season. It’s been four months since confetti reigned down from the rafters in in this very stadium, and now they begin their title defense against a team that will be gunning for their crown. The Lakers were knocked out of the playoffs by this very same Denver team after a midseason resurgence, and this season they feel like they can compete with the Nuggets and the rest of the teams in the West.
NBA Tip off: Lakers vs. Nuggets
The NBA is back and we are at the home of the defending champions to tip off the new season with a rematch of last year’s Western Conference Final. The Los Angeles Lakers travel to Denver to take on the Nuggets on a night in which they will get their championship ring. AS English will be with you all night providing live coverage, stats, highlights and analysis of tonight’s game from Ball Arena.