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
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