Watch: Nikola Jokic puts Anthony Davis in spin cycle before throwing it down over him
Nikola Jokic put on a show in the first half of their Game 1 matchup against the LA Lakers on Tuesday. Jokic also put in the moves against Anthony Davis, who was his primary defender for most the first half.
The Denver Nuggets up by 10 points with around five minutes left in the second quarter. Jokic was backing down on Davis outside the paint when he quickly spun and left the Lakers big man in the dust.
"The Joker" finished it off with a lovely dunk at the rim. He finished the first half with 19 points, 16 rebounds and seven assists as the Nuggets took a 72-54 lead.
Here's the video of Jokic's spin move against Davis:
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Nikola Jokic leads Nuggets to Game 1 win over Lakers
Nikola Jokic was simply phenomenal in the Denver Nuggets' 132-126 win over the LA Lakers in Game 1. The Nuggets now have 1-0 lead in the Western Conference finals, with Game 2 scheduled on Thursday.
Jokic finished with 34 points, 21 rebounds, 14 assists and two blocks. He went 12-for-17 from the field, including 3-for-3 from the beyoind the arc and 7-for-8 from the free throw line. He was simply unstoppable during the game, helping the Nuggets halt the Lakers' comeback.
Jamal Murray contributed 31 points, five rebounds, five assists and three steals, while Kentavious Caldwell-Pope had 21 points, three assists and two steals. Bruce Brown was huge off the bench, scoring 16 points in 24 minutes.
The Nuggets were up huge in the second half, but the Lakers started a furious rally in the fourth quarter. The Lakers had the lead down to three points with about one minute left in the game. However, Jokic and the Nuggets held on for the six-point victory.
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LA Lakers will look to make adjustments for Game 2
While many would look at the Denver Nuggets' win as lucky, the LA Lakers certainly had a lot of positives to take despite the loss. Darvin Ham might have found a way to slow down Nikola Jokic by putting Rui Hachimura on him.
Anthony Davis did a fantastic job as a help defender on Jokic. He also played his best game of the postseason, finishing with 40 points, 10 rebounds, three assists, three steals and two blocks.
However, Davis is notorious for having off days on offense in the playoffs. The Lakers are going to be in trouble if he has one of those types of games during the series. The Lakers will need him at his best every game, considering Jokic will be the same for the Nuggets.
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