Despite a long season that has now stretched into the Western Conference Finals, Nikola Jokić’s legs — and his touch from long range — are only getting stronger. This spelled bad news for the Los Angeles Lakers, who couldn’t slow the two-time MVP down from inside or outside in Game 1 of the best-of-seven series. With the third-quarter clock hurtling toward zero, Jokić brought the ball up the court himself and beat the buzzer on a deep step-back 3-pointer even with Anthony Davis right in his grill on defense. Jokić was brilliant all night as he shot 12 for 17 from the field with a perfect 3 for 3 showing from behind the arc for a team-high 34 points while adding 21 rebounds and 14 assists for his sixth triple-double of a dominant postseason. The Joker has shot better than 50 percent from downtown through 43 playoff attempts, up from 38.3 percent during the regular season, as he led the Denver Nuggets to a 132-126 victory on May 16, 2023. · May 17, 2023