Nuggets survive Lakers' second-half surge to take Game 1 in Western Conference finals

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The Denver Nuggets took care of business on their home court Tuesday night, taking Game 1 of the Western Conference finals from the Los Angeles Lakers, 132-126.

But it wasn’t easy, as they had to survive a strong Lakers charge in the second half. 

At first, it looked like the Nuggets were going to run away with the game after heading into halftime with a 72-54 lead. 

Los Angeles, as they showed the Golden State Warriors in the previous series, can be relentless in the second half – and they were just that with clutch shots and tighter defense.

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Jamal Murray #27 of the Denver Nuggets jogs up the court during the second quarter against the Los Angeles Lakers in game one of the Western Conference Finals at Ball Arena on May 16, 2023 in Denver, Colorado.  (Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)

Austin Reaves’ three-pointer with 2:18 left in the fourth quarter made it a 127-124 game in favor of Denver, and LeBron James had a chance to tie the game when he launched a three of his own down 129-126, but it rimmed out. 

The Lakers had just seven turnovers in the game, but one came on a crucial possession down five points with just seconds left to play. James lost the handle and Nikola Jokic, the MVP runner-up this season, took it away to essentially ice the game with his free throws. 

LA knew they would have to stop two-time MVP winner Jokic for any chance at competing in the NBA finals, and now they are certainly going to have to go back to the drawing board.

LAKERS HEAD COACH GIVES HILARIOIUS ANSWER WHEN ASKED HOW TO STOP NUGGETS' NIKOLA JOKIC

Jokic was an animal to start this game and his