The league knew what it was doing when it chose the Denver Nuggets and Los Angeles Lakers to open the 2023-2024 NBA season.
As the Nuggets were presented their championship rings before tip-off on Tuesday, the crowd at Ball Arena erupted in perhaps their most raucous cheers of the night as emcee Vic Lombardi mentioned that the Nuggets "swept the Lakers during the Western Conference Finals" en route to the franchise's first championship.
Lombardi, an Altitude TV host, then invited Nuggets coach Michael Malone to take the mic, though, this time, Lombardi refrained from introducing Malone as "the Lakers' daddy," a line he infamously used when introducing him at the team's championship parade in June.
The Lakers have ruled out Jalen Hood-Schifino, Jarred Vanderbilt, Alex Fudge, D'Moi Hodge and Colin Castleton.
Hood-Schifino was the 17th pick in the 2023 NBA Draft out of Indiana, and Vanderbilt is a key role player, who averaged 7.9 points, 7.5 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.1 steals per contest last season.
It was a thoroughly enjoyable and energetic night inside Ball Arena, then. The Nuggets beat the team they swept out of last season’s Western Conference Finals, saw more of the same brilliance from Nikola Jokic and put the league on alert, in case anyone forgot.
Here are Five Takeaways from the Nuggets’ 119-107 win, including why, with one minute remaining and the outcome secured, the home fans sent the Lakers home with a trolling serenade.
Despite that, Denver isn't a lock to cover the Lakers vs. Nuggets spread. That's because Los Angeles is led by 20-year veteran LeBron James. The 6-9 small forward started 54 of 55 games in which he played in in 2022-2023, averaging 28.9 points, 8.3 rebounds and 6.8 assists. He was a dominant force in the Western Conference Finals series against the Nuggets, scoring no fewer than 22 points in a game, and registering four double-doubles. In the Game 4 loss, he narrowly missed a triple-double by pouring in 40 points, grabbing 10 rebounds and dishing out nine assists.
Power forward Anthony Davis is also a force for Los Angeles. In 56 games played, including 54 starts, he averaged 25.9 points, 12.5 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.1 steals. He also posted four double-doubles in the Western Conference Finals against Denver. In Game 1, he scored 40 points and had 10 rebounds. In three regular-season games vs. the Nuggets a year ago, Davis averaged 18.3 points and 11 rebounds. See which team to back at SportsLine.
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