Denver’s first-round title defense got off to a winning start in Game 1 against the Lakers.

LeBron James’ logo triple before the buzzer put the Lakers ahead 60-57 at the half. However, the Nuggets’ 20-4 run at the close of the third session blew open an 89-78 lead. After a string of tic-tac-toe possessions in which former Laker Kentavious Caldwell-Pope drained four 3-pointers to give the reigning champions a 14-point lead over Los Angeles in the third quarter, Denver went on to win Game 1 114-103.

With Nikola Jokić and Jamal Murray leading the five-man lineup with Caldwell-Pope, Aaron Gordon, and Michael Porter Jr. completing out the lineup and whirring with such knowledge it was as if they finished each other’s sentences, Denver’s synergy and continuity were on full show. They are free to play at their own time and pace. They are comparatively adept at pulling off wide-open looks. As soon as Jokić spots Caldwell-Pope in the other corner, Gordon moves ahead of Anthony Davis to block him from entering the game. Gordon slides baseline to jump for another lob throw from Murray, and Jokić receives a nice pocket pass. Porter is prepared to move in for a trailing triple should the Nuggets suddenly go into transition.

“I thought that third quarter was great as the game went on, as the guys got more and more locked in,” Nuggets head coach Michael Malone stated. “But I really thought that end of the second quarter, to really get back in it, that allowed us to get in striking distance and have that big third quarter that we had.”

Yes, with six minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, the Lakers cut the Nuggets’ advantage to just six points. However, Denver never really looked back in Game 1 after wresting this game from the jaws of doubt during that third-quarter run. The game-winning play in the closing minutes, when Gordon fed Jokić at the high post and Jokić lobbed a pass to Murray inside, served as a dramatic reminder of how adaptable these Denver jigsaw parts can be. That could be the real spark that ignites the Nuggets’ well-rounded roster.

Rival coaches fear Jokić and Murray’s unstoppable pick-and-roll, which is one of the hardest basketball duets to stop. Gordon is still able to carry the Nuggets’ offensive load. Caldwell-Pope and Porter serve as distant floor spacers and deadly screeners in equal measure. Over 32 minutes were played by each of the five starters. Each of them could have logged more. Throughout the whole evening, they only turned the ball over once. With everyone ready to jump a passing lane or swat an effort in the paint, the entire unit defends.

Darvin Ham, head coach of the Lakers, stated, “S**t, it’s tough.” “A championship squad cannot defeat itself.”

The Lakers’ supporting group did not do anything to help James or Anthony Davis, so the full force of Denver felt more apparent. Even with a tremendous first half from James and 32 points and 14 rebounds from Davis, Los Angeles’ D’Angelo Russell shot just 1 of 9 from beyond the arc, Rui Hachimura scored only seven points, and Austin Reaves didn’t have any real impact until the fourth quarter. After Denver destroyed these Lakers in the Western Conference finals, Gabe Vincent, the Lakers’ free agent acquisition who had been sidelined for a large portion of the regular season, picked up three quick fouls while trying to guard Murray and ended up playing just over seven minutes. This was far from a triumphant retaliation against the Nuggets team that had defeated Vincent’s Miami Heat in the previous year’s Finals.

Few teams can match Denver’s completeness throughout the better part of two seasons, and by the time this postseason ends, that group might only consist of the Boston Celtics, who are now leading the East. The Nuggets are determined to always have Jokić or Murray on the court. By the end of the first quarter, Denver’s second unit was led by Jokić. Murray led Denver to a fourth-quarter lead, and DeAndre Jordan, who had been taken off the bench, contributed productive minutes, much like he had during the team’s playoff run the previous year.

The Nuggets play as though a game-changing run like that one from the third quarter is always just around the corner. Los Angeles might consider alternative options besides using a combination of Hachimura and Davis to guard Jokić. It is improbable that the Lakers’ shooters will provide much more energy for three more games. Nevertheless, Denver appears to have a solution for every new development. Malone’s Nuggets have been winning all of their tests for a while now.