Nikola Jokic on Tuesday delivered a dominant triple-double performance as the Denver Nuggets launched the defense of their NBA championship crown with a season-opening 119-107 victory over LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers.
After Nuggets players received their championship rings while the team raised its first banner in franchise history, Denver tipped off the season with a display that suggested they would once again be one of the teams to beat.
“I think the whole ceremony gave us a boost,” Jokic said after the win. “We didn’t want anything to ruin our night.”
Photo: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY
Denver threatened to steamroll the Lakers early on, surging into an 18-point lead at the start of the second quarter as the Lakers struggled to contain two-time NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP) Jokic and Jamal Murray.
The Lakers, who bolstered their roster during the offseason, fought back during the second half to close the gap to just three points at 92-89 in the fourth quarter.
However, Denver again demonstrated their championship pedigree, pulling away whenever the Lakers appeared to be within striking distance to close out an impressive victory.
In Tuesday’s other season-opener, Devin Booker scored 32 points as the Phoenix Suns pipped the Golden State Warriors 108-104 in San Francisco.
The NBA entered the opening night with 125 international players on regular-season rosters, with players from 40 countries and territories spread across six continents.
This is the 10th straight season that the league’s opening rosters have featured at least 100 international players and the third straight with at least 120, the NBA said.
All 30 NBA teams have at least one foreign-born player.
A record number of players — 26 — are from Canada, with 14 from France in the NBA. Those countries have the most players from outside the US, followed by Australia (nine players), Serbia (seven) and Germany (six).
The past five NBA MVP awards have gone to international players: Joel Embiid (Cameroon, 2022-23), Jokic (Serbia, 2021-22 and 2020-21) and Giannis Antetokounmpo (Greece, 2019-20 and 2018-19).
Additional reporting by Reuters
Manchester City have reached do-or-die territory in the UEFA Champions League earlier than expected ahead of what Pep Guardiola has described as a “final” against Club Brugge today. City have disproved the suggestion a new format to Europe’s top club competition would remove any jeopardy for the top clubs as Guardiola stares down the barrel of failing to make the Champions League knockout stages for the first time in his career. The English champions have endured a torrid season both in their English Premier League title defense and on the continent. A run of one win in 13 games, which included Champions League
Oklahoma City star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander on Sunday poured in 35 points as the Thunder grabbed a bounce-back 118-108 victory in Portland to push their NBA-best record to 37-8. The Thunder, surprised by the short-handed Dallas Mavericks on Thursday, fended off a late surge from the Trail Blazers to snap their four-game winning streak. Jalen Williams scored 24 points and Isaiah Joe added 16 off the bench. Center Isaiah Hartenstein, back after a five-game absence with a calf injury, added 14 points, 11 rebounds, six assists and a big block. The Western Conference leaders were under pressure late as Portland, trailing by 15 heading
Sumo is walking a “tightrope” as it prepares to stage events outside Japan for the first time in 20 years while also trying to preserve its ancient traditions, experts say. The sport is to hold exhibition tournaments in London in October and in Paris in June next year, the first time the Japan Sumo Association has been abroad since Las Vegas in 2005. Sports such as soccer, baseball and football play domestic games overseas in a bid to gain new fans in emerging markets. John Gunning, a former amateur sumo wrestler who commentates on the sport in English on Japanese television, says its
Cole Perfetti on Friday scored three goals for his first NHL hat-trick as the Winnipeg Jets beat the Utah Hockey Club 5-2. Nikolaj Ehlers had a goal and two assists to reach 500 points for his career, while David Gustafsson also scored for Winnipeg. Connor Hellebuyck had 17 saves. Barrett Hayton and Nick Schmaltz scored for Utah, while Connor Ingram stopped 25 shots. Perfetti gave Winnipeg a 3-2 lead when he lifted the puck over a fallen Ingram on a pass from Vladislav Namestnikov 5 minutes, 51 seconds into the third period. Ehlers stole the puck at his own blue line and raced down
RSS