Tuesday night marked the beginning of the 2023-24 regular season for the Los Angeles Lakers, who rematched the defending Western Conference Finals champion Denver Nuggets.

The Lakers, however, did not get off to the good start they had hoped for and fell to the Nuggets, 119-107.

Although both groups scored in the opening minutes, Taurean Prince’s consecutive three-pointers gave the Lakers an early 10-7 advantage. While LeBron James managed to descend for two layups, the Nuggets advanced 20-16 in the first quarter due to their effective offense.

Early on, Nikola Jokic was a menace in the paint, contributing to Denver’s double-digit lead with two offensive rebounds and a few more basket-bound attempts. Despite D’Angelo Russell’s impressive two-way sequence that included a score and a recovery, Los Angeles trailed 34-20 entering the second half.

Beginning the second quarter, the Nuggets maintained their strong outside shooting with a pair of 3-pointers, but James halted the momentum with an additional difficult drive. Despite the resurgence of Anthony Davis and Denver’s efforts to regain control of the game, Los Angeles fell behind 47-34 after another Jokic basket.

The Lakers attempted to force Davis into a one-on-one situation with Jokic in an effort to force him into foul trouble. Both Davis and James elected to assume control of the offense in the closing seconds, and the two titans managed to reduce the team’s halftime deficit to a respectable 63-54.

For Los Angeles to draw within five points, Taurean Prince was the recipient of a James outlet pass after Austin Reaves began the third quarter with a steal and dunk. Despite a fleeting resurgence of the Nuggets to double digits in front of the Lakers, the latter managed to repel the charge and maintain striking distance.

The purple and gold, on the other hand, entered a calm at both ends of the court, which enabled Denver to regain control. However, James managed to anchor a late 9-0 surge that extended the lead to 87-80 heading into the fourth quarter.

James appeared more aggressive as he drained a three-pointer and scored on a good feed from Gabe Vincent to bring the team within three points. Conversely, the Nuggets responded to James’ substitution with a rapid 7-0 run that extended the lead to 101-90.

Mike Malone would call a timeout whenever Los Angeles attempted to gain the upper hand, and Denver would respond with a mini-run to keep them at bay. Despite their best efforts to close the gap, the Lakers were unable to overcome the deficit and would suffer their first defeat of the regular season.