In the opening game of their first-round playoff series, the Los Angeles Lakers outperformed the Denver Nuggets.

Nevertheless, despite LeBron James and Anthony Davis’ best efforts, the reigning NBA Champions would take control late in the second and early in the third quarter to strike first and grab a series lead.

LeBron finished with 27 points and eight assists, while Davis had a fantastic 32 points, 14 rebounds, and four blocks, but the Lakers didn’t get enough offensive production from their bench players. The Lakers’ inability to clean the glass proved to be their downfall on the opposite side of the court.

LeBron is aware that the Lakers need to improve their ability to get players on the Nuggets’ frontcourt as the club scored 18 second-chance points as a result of the Nuggets’ 15 offensive rebounds.

James stated, “Just get bodies, hit bodies.” It can be difficult at times. Aaron Gordon does a fantastic job at the dunker position, but we occasionally get caught up in rotations, which puts a tiny burden on him. 

Joker is obviously a significant player on this team because of his ability to rebound when he misses or just in general. With MPJ, Joker, and Aaron Gordon, they have a formidable frontcourt. We simply need to work harder to get hits and get rebounds as a team when it comes to the defensive glass.

Denver is a very strong offensive club, thus giving them many more extra possessions will only lead to trouble. LeBron is aware of this, and even though he thought the Lakers performed admirably at moments in Game 1, he also knows that they must improve since there isn’t much margin for error if they want to defeat the Nuggets.

“We were not at our best. LeBron continued, “I think we played some decent ball tonight, but we could’ve been better. We simply don’t have much margin for mistake while playing this Denver club, particularly at home. They are, of course, the defending champions; they are merely a team that has experienced everything.

“You have to play well, make shots, defend, and you can’t give up more possessions after that. It will be challenging in and of itself to defend against a very skilled offensive squad when they have eighteen second-chance points, as you mentioned.

There are definitely things the Lakers can learn from their opening game, but it’s no secret that the Nuggets are a formidable opponent—their nine straight victories over Los Angeles attest to that. 

LeBron stated prior to the series that the Lakers needed to play flawless basketball in order to compete with the Nuggets, and they fell short of that goal in Game 1. It will now be up to you to make those changes in Game 2.

LeBron James explains how the Lakers lost Game 1.The Lakers played effectively in the first half, gaining a double-digit advantage before the Nuggets could rally. LeBron James believed that Denver maintained the momentum they had established at the close of the first half into the third quarter, when they seized the initiative.

“We came out and made some good shots, and we were able to connect on some shots and build up a 12-point lead, I just thought we were playing good basketball,” James stated. 

“Then, obviously, they rode that momentum to get to a double-digit lead for themselves, cutting that lead to three at the half with the spurt they had at the end of the second quarter which led into the third.”

In order to defeat the Nuggets and get to the postseason, James continued, the Lakers need to improve their attention to detail.