Nikola Jokic made all kinds of history with virtuoso Game 1 performance vs. Lakers

DENVER — The Denver Nuggets survived a ferocious comeback bid by the Los Angeles Lakers to win Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals Tuesday night.

In addition to the 1-0 series lead, the Nuggets left Ball Arena with a whole lot of entries in the history books.

Here’s a look at a few wild stats from Tuesday’s Game 1:

First, that 1-0 playoff series lead against the Lakers…

… is the Nuggets’ first since the teams first met in the postseason in 1979. Denver has never beaten L.A. in a playoff series, and only once have they won the first game – the first of the three-game set 44 years ago.

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Another monster triple-double for Nikola Jokic

Jokic registered 30 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists for the fourth time in his playoff career. That’s the most all-time, according to ESPN Stats & Info.

And the accuracy, to boot

Jokic is also the first player with a 30-point triple-double and a 70% field goal percentage in back-to-back playoff games.

Historic half

Jokic became the first player in a quarter-century to record 15 points, 15 boards and 5 assists in one half of a postseason game.

Historic quarter

The Serbian sensation also became the first player to have 10 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 blocks in any quarter of any game – regular season or postseason – in the same time frame.

Battle of the bigs

Jokic and Lakers center Anthony Davis became the third set of opposing centers to each score 30-plus points in a playoff game. Davis scored 40 in Game 1.

Massive win probability

At several points up 20 in the third quarter, and again up 14 with 6:12 to go, ESPN Analytics gave the Nuggets a 98.9% chance to win the game. Still, the Lakers pulled within three twice in the fourth quarter.

ESPN

Home-court advantage

With this win, the Nuggets now have the longest home win streak in franchise playoff history.

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