The margin for the Los Angeles Lakers over the Denver Nuggets in the first half of their first meeting was as large as 12 points.

Nonetheless, a Nuggets resurgence aided by Nikola Jocic and Michael Porter Jr. allowed them to clаw their way back into the contest and reclaim the lead. 

The Lakers inbound the ball to LeBron James with less than five seconds remaining with the game tied at 57. James allowed the ball to rebound before rising from around the logo to miss former teammate Kentavious Caldwell-Pope on a three-point attempt to increase the lead to 60-57 at halftime.

The Lakers will need to reduce their turnovers and infractions, as they currently have a higher number of each in comparison to the Nuggets. Additionally, it would be advantageous if they continued to hinder the Nuggets from deep, as the defending champions are 6-of-23 from three.

James has accumulated 19 points on 7-of-10 shooting, including all three of his deep attempts.

ESPN’s analytics estimate that the Lakers have a 50.5% chance of winning, but there is still a considerable amount of basketball to be played.