Nikola Jokic Reacts to Game 1 Win vs. Lakers

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Surviving a late-game comeback by the Los Angeles Lakers, the Denver Nuggets took Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals behind another dominant performance from Nikola Jokic. Finishing with 34 PTS, 21 REB, and 14 AST, Jokic was dominant in every facet of the game, and shared his immediate reaction to the win during his on-court interview following the game.
"Ups and downs," Jokic said of the Game 1 win. "In the first half we controlled the game. We controlled everything. We controlled the pace, we controlled the defense, we controlled the rebounds. And in the second half we lost it. They're a really good and talented team, and we lost the composure that we were having in the first half."
On LA's comeback effort, Jokic said, "We know that they're gonna come. They're coming. That's a tough team, but win by one or win by 20, this time of year it doesn't matter. A win is a win."
Even with the comeback scare, Denver will certainly take this Game 1 victory. Their home dominance in this postseason continues, and they will look to make it a 2-0 series lead when they face the Lakers again on Thursday. Knowing LA is going to be a tough place to win, the Nuggets certainly want to protect their home court and capitalize on the home court advantage that has been so huge for them.
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Joey Linn is a credentialed writer covering the NBA and WNBA for On SI. Covering the LA Clippers independently in 2018, then for Fansided and 213Hoops from 2019-2021, Joey joined On SI to cover the Clippers after the 2020-21 season. Graduating from Biola University in 2022 with a Communication Studies degree, Joey served as Biola's play-by-play announcer for their basketball, baseball, softball, and soccer teams. Joey's work on Biola's broadcasts and in the classroom earned him the Outstanding Communication Studies Student of the year award in 2022. Joey covers the NBA full-time, primarily serving as a Clippers beat writer.