The Denver Nuggets won the 2022-23 NBA Championship, and in their first game back from the 2023-24 season, they hosted the Los Angeles Lakers with Colorado Buffaloes head coach Deion Sanders in attendance, along with his son and Buffaloes quarterback Shedeur Sanders and star wide receiver/cornerback Travis Hunter.
The Nuggets were victorious, doing the state of Colorado proud, defeating the Lakers 119-107 on the back of a Nikola Jokic triple-double.
Coach Prime in the building for Lakers-Nuggets ??#KiaTipOff23 | #NBACelebRow pic.twitter.com/fnXEgGD56E
— NBA (@NBA) October 25, 2023
"Coach Prime in the building for Lakers-Nuggets," the NBA X account posted during the same.
Sanders, in his first year as the Buffaloes head coach, is building another successful team in Colorado to go alongside the Nuggets.
For Hunter and Shedeur, it was a surreal experience, with LeBron James coming over to say hello to them. Hunter had the reaction that most NBA fans would have after dapping up one of the greatest players ever.
LeBron James: ?I love y?all boys, man.?
Shedeur Sanders: ?You gotta send us a jersey, you got to get us right!?
*LeBron walks away*
Travis Hunter: ?AHHHHHHHH!? ?
(via @BleacherReport)pic.twitter.com/e1VNNFEhAr
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) October 25, 2023
For a program that went 1-11 in 2022, the Buffaloes are now 4-3 this season, just two wins shy of being bowl-eligible. They started the year 3-0 but have gone 1-3 since, losing games to Oregon, USC, and most recently, Stanford.
The Stanford loss happened just before their bye week. They led 29-0 at halftime but were outscored 36-7 in the second half, resulting in a loss in double overtime that included a critical interception from Shedeur. Hunter, in his first game back after a lacerated live in Week 3, caught 13 passes for 140 yards and two touchdowns.
Now, they face the UCLA Bruins on the road in Week 9, just days after his appearance at the Nuggets and Lakers showdown.
As mentioned, the Nuggets are coming off an NBA Finals victory and look to be picking up right where they left off. In addition to Jokic's triple-double, Jamal Murray, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Michael Porter Jr., and Aaron Gordon all finished with double-digit points. The Nuggets managed to hold LeBron James to a 21-point, five assists, and eight rebound night. No other player on the Lakers scored more than 18.
The Buffaloes and Coach Prime will need to develop a game plan to fend off the Bruins' pass rush, led by top 2024 NFL Draft prospect Laiatu Latu.
As for the Nuggets, who are now 1-0, they face the Memphis Grizzlies on the road on Friday, October 27 at 7:00 p.m. ET.
