The Denver Nuggets defeated the Los Angeles Lakers once more. In an attempt to retain their championship, the Nuggets defeated the Lakers 114-103 in Game 1 of Round 1 of the Western Conference playoffs.

Given their prior record against the Lakers and their position as the defending champs, the Nuggets are the clear favourites to win this series. In addition to sweeping the Lakers in the previous year’s Western Conference Finals, Denver has defeated them in all of their games this season.
The Lakers are aware that they have a shot, though, if they play to the best of their abilities. They won’t win this series, but if they stay out of trouble, their chances of winning will be improved. One of the Lakers’ main problems in their opening-game defeat was their inability to pull down defensive rebounds. Rather than allowing the Lakers to stop them, the Nuggets were able to secure a number of offensive rebounds, which in turn created more scoring opportunities for Denver.
We cannot do poorly in transition and defensive rebounding. We’ve struggled against this club since the last playoffs, according to Anthony Davis, as reported by Dan Woike of The Los Angeles Times. “That is, once more, our greatest weakness. If not both departments, then at least one needs improvement.

The Nuggets grabbed 15 offensive rebounds overall, compared to the Lakers’ meagre total of 6. The Nuggets’ edge in ball possession and scoring came from their disparity in offensive rebounds, as both teams recorded 34 defensive rebounds.