The Los Angeles Lakers took care of business in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals.
They dispatched the Denver Nuggets in dominating fashion, 126-114. However, Nuggets starting point guard Jamal Murray was none too pleased with what he perceived were unfavorable calls from the referees.
Jamal Murray on how Nuggets adapt to whistles: "Just try to play through it. It's tough.
They want to talk about every call and have full conversations and try to manipulate what happens, but you can't worry about it. We know how it's going to be. We know we're the younger team."— Ohm Youngmisuk (@NotoriousOHM) September 19, 2020
It is difficult to side with Murray’s assertion as the total fouls called on the two squads did not differ that much in Game 1. The Lakers were called for 28 fouls, while the Nuggets actually had less with 26.
Denver, thought, shot less free throws than Los Angeles, which shot 37 free throws in the game. Anthony Davis took the bulk of those shots as he attempted 15 free throws in the game. The Nuggets, in comparison, took just 28 shots from the stripe.
The Lakers certainly learned their lesson from their two previous series. In the first and second rounds of the playoffs, Los Angeles started slow. The team gave up the first game before winning four straight in each series.
This time around, the Lakers made sure to put away the Nuggets early with a strong defensive effort.
