Following the Lakers' 132-126 Game 1 loss to the Denver Nuggets on Tuesday, LeBron James left the court, closed his eyes, cocked his head back,
and said, "Oh my god," after Los Angeles almost won the first game of the Western Conference Finals.
The Lakers trailed by as many as 21, were outrebounded by 17, and allowed Denver to score 72 points by halftime -- the most points Los Angeles' defense has allowed in any half of the playoffs
but still had a chance to tie the game with 45.2 seconds left in the fourth when James missed a 3-pointer from the top of the key.
With two-time MVP Nikola Jokic scoring 34 points, 21 rebounds, 14 assists, and two blocks, and Jamal Murray scoring 31 points on an effective 12-for-20 shooting night, the Nuggets proved why they were the No. 1 seed in the West.
This, along with a strong performance from Anthony Davis (40 points on 14-of-23 shooting, 10 rebounds, 3 steals, and 2 blocks), gave them a real shot.