LeBron James was adamant that the Los Angeles Lakers would be better in Game Two than during their Western Conference Finals series opener - but it was still not enough to overcome the Denver Nuggets.
Jamal Murray led the Nuggets with a game-high 37 points - including 24 in the fourth quarter - as Denver overturned an 11-point deficit midway through the third quarter to eventually win the second game of the series 108-103 to take a 2-0 lead.
James led the Lakers with a joint-team-high 22 points (matched by shooting guard Austin Reaves, who was 5-of-9 from three), but it was ultimately in vain. His post-game rallying cry after their 132-126 defeat in Game One fell on deaf ears.
"We'll be better," James insisted following the series opener. "We know we didn't play up to our capabilities in the first half, but you know we'll be better in Game Two, that's for sure.
"In the postseason, it doesn't matter if you cut it to one or you're down 20; if you lose, you lose. They are 1-0, and we have to come back with desperation going into Game Two. We have to play better; we have to rebound better. We need to be better in all facets of the game."
They did play better, leading throughout the first three quarters. And they did cut their rebounding deficit in half, but it was still not enough to tie the series.
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Alongside 22 points, James also pulled out nine rebounds and dished out another ten assists to post a near triple-double, as was the case during Game One, too, when he was one assist shy of one. But when it comes to triple-doubles, though, Denver center Nikola Jokic is the current king.
After amassing 23 points, 17 rebounds, and 12 assists during Thursday's game, the center posted his seventh triple-double of the playoffs, which ties an NBA record. Only Hall of Famer Wilt Chamberlain has managed that many in a single postseason.
Jokic now has at least four more games to become the outright leader. The chances of the Serbian center achieving that feat seem pretty good, too, in this form.
The Game Two triple-double was his fourth straight, spanning the end of the Western Conference semifinals against the Phoenix Suns and the first two games versus the Lakers. Jokic scored 20 points in all four performances, making them the most consecutive 20-point triple-doubles in postseason history.
It comes after the Nuggets center also made more history during Game One. After the first half, Jokic had 19 points on 70% shooting with 16 rebounds, seven assists, and two blocks. Those totals have only been tallied 20 times before during entire NBA games.
As part of that hot start, Jokic also became the first player in the last 25 years to tally ten-plus points, five-plus rebounds, and two-plus blocks during any quarter.
