Michael Malone believes the Denver Nuggets face "a hell of a series" against the Los Angeles Lakers, with LeBron James pledging to improve after his team were beaten in Game 1 on Saturday. (More Basketball News)
The Nuggets and the Lakers faced off in the Western Conference finals last season, and they were reunited for Game 1 of this year's first-round ꧒series at Ball Arena on Saturday.
It's adv💯antage Denver after Nikola Jokic had 32 points and 12 rebounds in a 114-103 win over Los Angeles, their 🔯ninth victory in the teams' last nine head-to-head meetings.
The reigning NBA champions ꦗwere made to work for their success, though, havin💦g gone into halftime down 60-57, with James scoring 19 first-half points.
Hﷺowever, the NBA's all-time leading scorer was limited to just♛ eight second-half points and didn't attempt a shot in the fourth quarter until the final 80 seconds.
Though thღe Lakers ultimately ran out of steam, Denver coach Malone expects another tough test when the teams reconvene for Game 2 on Monday.
"We're not going anywhere," Malone said. "This is the playoffs.🌜 No team in the playoffs, if you get down 12 early, you're not going to just take your ball and go home.
"We still have ⭕plenty of fight left in us and we 💙know that we are better than what we were playing early.
"That's🌼 a good team over there. They came into the playoff♔s playing extremely well, and they showed it.
"LeBron was on course, I thoughtﷺ he was about to have 50 points tonight, the way he was playing and shooting the ball.
"We've got to watch the film to see what we can do bett🐽er. This is going to be a hell of a series.";
James' 27 points came in support of Anthony Davis, who had 32, while the Nuggets had two other players match Jokic's double-double, with Jamal Murray tallying 22 points and 10 assists and Aar💫on Gord🌄on adding 12 points and 11 rebounds.
James, who is appearing in the playoffs for the 17th time in 21 ꦑseasons, says the team won't get too low wit𓆏h plenty of time remaining to rescue the series.
"I thought we played some goo🥃d ball tonight, just could have💝 been better," he said. "You don't have much room for error versus Denver, especially on their home floor.
"They're just a team that'sꦦ been through everything. Obviously, they're the defending champions, so you've got to execute, you've got to make shots, you'ꦯve got to defend.
"I do✅n't ever get into the 'here we go again' mindset. It's one game, they protected their home court. We have another opportunity on Monday to come ba𒀰ck and be better."
