Denver Nuggets

Thanks to a particularly dominant defensive showing, the Denver Nuggets dealt a LeBron James team its worst start to a season since the King’s rookie year. Denver frustrated the Los Angeles Lakers in a plethora of ways, as a Bruce Brown steal leads to a Jamal Murray dunk before Murray repays the favor with a swipe of his own that Brown cashes in on the other end. Two-time defending MVP Nikola Jokić deflects his way to a steal while gracefully straddling the out-of-bounds line before finding Kentavious Caldwell-Pope for a transition layup, and DeAndre Jordan and Aaron Gordon sniff out blocks from in front and behind. Caldwell-Pope haunts his old squad in more ways than one by picking off a pass, with the Nuggets recording 12 steals and five blocks while forcing 14 turnovers. The Lakers shot just 8 for 30 from downtown as the Nuggets picked up the 110-99 win on October 26, 2022, sending James and the Lakers to an 0-4 beginning to their season.

Championship Year