The Denver Nuggets defeated the Los Angeles Lakers 132-126 in Game 1 of the NBA Western Conference Finals at Ball Arena in Denver, Colorado, on Tuesday, leading 1-0 in the series.

Nikola Jokic shot 12-for-17 from the field to drop 34 points, 21 rebounds and 14 assists, his sixth triple-double in the playoffs this season and the 12th in his postseason career, matching Russell Westbrook as the third-most in NBA history.

The Lakers spent three quarters guarding failing to effectively guard Jokic, and he made good use of it. When he was double-teamed in the first quarter, he passed to teammates for open shots. The team scored 37 points at 50 percent in the first quarter, with Jokic facilitating five of the 15 shots they made.

From the second quarter, the Lakers had Davis guard Jokic by himself on most possessions, but it didn't work either. Not only did Jokic power his way deep into the paint, but he also shot to kill in the middle range and at the 3-point line. Jokic made eight of his nine field goals (FGs) in the second and third periods to get 23 points, plus another seven assists.

Jokic's skillful combination of individual offensive and playmaking performances enabled another five of his teammates to score double-digit points. Four of them shot above 50 percent. Jamal Murray, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Michael Porter Jr. drained 10 triples collectively. Murray also offered the second isolation option next to Jokic to generate consistent firepower as he went 8-for-12 within the 3-point line. Bruce Brown, Aaron Gordon and Porter Jr. contributed 17 of the Nuggets' 19 fast-break points, beating the Lakers (13) on this front as well.

Though Davis couldn't stop Jokic from dominating the floor by himself, he responded remarkable scoring performance of 40 points. The Lakers should realize that, despite Davis' athleticism and finishing ability, it is still not a good idea to have him attack Jokic off the dribble in every possession. Davis had most of his points by making shots via off-ball movements and finishing over the heads of smaller defenders.

The purple and gold trailed by as many as 21 points (93-72) in the third quarter. One of the main reasons they were able to cut the deficit down to a chasable three points in the fourth period was the change in defensive tactics on Jokic. Rui Hachimura was sent to guard Jokic from the fourth quarter. His job was to deny Jokic the ball and tussle with him in the middle and low posts so Davis could arrive in time to help.

As a result, Jokic only took two shots and missed both in the fourth quarter. He had himself to blame for such underperformance, too, because he had multiple chances to pick Hachimura in the high posts where Davis could not come to his aid. Jokic could have attacked Hachimura with more resolution or aggressiveness.

The Nuggets' defensive rotations were problematic in the second half. They allowed LeBron James to attack Murray too easily via screen plays. James made four FGs and seven free throws to get 15 points and six assists in the third and fourth quarters. Meanwhile, Murray made four personal fouls in the two periods.

The Lakers started three guards, D'Angelo Russell, Austin Reaves and Dennis Schroder, to pair with James and Davis in Tuesday's game. Reaves was the only player of the three to make 3-pointers, and he made four to get 23 points, the third-highest on the team's roster. Hachimura had 17 points off the bench, the highest among all backup players of the two teams. Judging by the defensive effect on Jokic when Hachimura was there, the purple and gold may understandably put up a larger starting squad in Game 2 at the Ball Arena on Thursday.