Nikola Jokic delivered a dominant performance in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals against the Lakers. The Serbian superstar finished the game with a triple-double of 32 points, 21 rebounds and 14 assists, helping the Nuggets take the early lead in the series (132-126).
It is the second time in the last three years that Denver and Los Angeles meet at this stage of the playoffs. The last time it happened was in 2020 during the Orlando bubble when the Lakers went on to win the championship.
Dwight Howard, who now plays for the Taoyuan Leopards in Taiwan, was part of that Lakers team. Following the Game 1 of the conference finals, he sent a controversial tweet, implying that only he can stop Jokic.
“Only one person can stop the joker and I ain’t talking bout batman 😎,” the 8-time NBA All-Star tweeted.
