The Lakers surged in the second half on the shoulders of Luka Dončić and Marcus Smart to take the 115-107 win over the Denver Nuggets on Tuesday night.
It was an offensive showdown early. Denver was a perfect 5-5 from the field, while Los Angeles was shooting at 80%. Luka couldn’t miss and was in double figures with 12 points. Jamal Murray was also perfect from the field with eight points. The only other Laker to score was Deandre Ayton on a layup.
After a timeout, Luka continued his hot start, converting on a jumpshot.
The Nuggets were shooting an impressive 81% from behind the arc. The Lakers had no answer for Spencer Jones, who had drained four of Denver’s nine triples in the quarter. Rui Hachimura provided some offense for LA with four points.
LeBron James converted on a jumper at the buzzer to cut the deficit to nine going into the second period.
Drew Timme opened the quarter with five straight points to make it a four-point game. Timme time was in full effect as he also converted on a layup. LA looked like they were poised to go on a big run, until Denver responded to push their lead to eight.
LeBron gave Los Angeles some life with an emphatic dunk, staring down the crowd right after.
The Nuggets had been able to extend their lead to double-digits, but the Lakers responded to cut it down to six. LA’s defense was awful, though, as Murray was able to get to the rim with ease, scoring six quick points.
Los Angeles ended the half disastrously, falling apart. To make matters even worse, Murray heaved a shot that, of course, went in at the buzzer. At halftime, the purple and gold were down by 14.
LeBron opened the third period with a layup for LA. Peyton Watson started to cook for the Nuggets, scoring six points. After a quick four-point surge by Los Angeles, Denver called a timeout. Out of the break, the Nuggets turned the ball over, and it resulted in a jumper by Luka on the other end.
Denver’s lead was down to single digits after Luka converted on a triple.
The Lakers tightened their defense, which led to a 15-4 scoring run. Luka was now at 32 points for the game.
A dunk from Aaron Gordon and four points from Jones forced a timeout call from LA. LeBron scored five straight to make it a two-point game going into the fourth period. They outscored Denver 29 to 17 in the quarter.
The final frame began with the Lakers tying the game off a layup from Timme. Both teams then took turns tying the game again, with LA not able to take the lead. The Nuggets went up by four.
Ayton suffered an eye injury in the first half and was ruled out for the remainder of the game.
Los Angeles got their first lead of the game by two at the 6:42 mark, thanks to free throws from Luka. Smart scored six in a row to give the Lakers more cushion in their lead.
LA’s defense was suffocating the Nuggets, leading to a five-minute scoring drought. Smart’s second-half dominance continued with another triple. Denver’s drought ended as they scored six straight. LeBron responded with another powerful dunk.
Los Angeles kept their composure, and Denver played the foul game the rest of the way, as the Lakers cruised to victory.
Key Player Stats
Dončić scored 16 of his 38 points in the first quarter. He also ended with 13 rebounds, 10 assists and two steals. LeBron notched 19 points with nine rebounds and eight assists. Smart had 15 massive points and two rebounds. Ayton pitched in with four points and eight rebounds.
Timme had nine points and three rebounds. Hachimura ended with nine points and five rebounds. Jaxson Hayes scored nine points with five rebounds and two blocks.
The Lakers’ next matchup will be against the Los Angeles Clippers on Thursday at 7:00 PM PT.
You can follow Karin on Twitter at @KarinAbcarians.
