The Denver Nuggets are facing the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA's Western Conference finals. The top seeded Lakers showed their championship form by winning against the Nuggets 126-114 in Game 1 on Friday night.

In a season where only one of the four top-seeded teams made it to the conference finals, the Los Angeles Lakers showed their tenacity and championship form by winning over the Nuggets and dominating from the second quarter.

According to Fox Sports, the Lakers were up by as much as 27 points by the final quarter and felt very little pressure from their opponents.

If the Lakers win the series, it will be LeBron James' ninth finals appearance in the past 10 years. He played for the Miami Heat from 2011-2014, winning two championships. He then joined the Cleveland Cavaliers from 2015 to 2018, winning one, and this season with the Lakers.

Unfortunately, he didn't win the coveted KIA Most Valuable Player award. The accolade went to reigning MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo giving him back-to-back MVPs. Antetokounmpo says that MVPs are not worth much without a ring.

Unfortunately, it looks like King James injured himself in the game. He twisted his ankle in the first quarter before the big 17-1 run in the second quarter that looked like a game of men against boys, with the Nuggets turning over the ball in what looked like every possession.

James ended the game with "only" 15 points, 12 assists, and 6 rebounds playing for 31 minutes.

Denver star Nikola Jokic was in foul trouble most of the game but still finished the game with 21 points, 2 assists, and 6 rebounds. It didn't matter since the Lakers had a commanding lead of 70-59 by halftime.

In both the first and second rounds of the playoffs, the Lakers lost the first game and then swept their opponents by winning four straight games ending the series 4-1. That won't be the case here, but in a season where upsets happen all the time. It's too early to say if the Lakers will dominate the Nuggets in the remaining games. A lot will also depend on how quickly LeBron can bounce back from the injury.

LeBron James
LeBron James Lakers Ashley Landis-Pool/Getty Images