On Saturday night, the Denver Nuggets capitalized on a strong second half to defeat the Los Angeles Lakers 127-102, with Nikola Jokic scoring 34 points and Michael Porter Jr. adding 24 points.
Russell Westbrook had 14 points, 11 assists and seven rebounds against his old team in Denver.
Austin Reeves scored 19 points and LeBron James added 18 for the Lakers, who lost consecutive home games after starting the season 7-0 at home. Rui Hachimura, who had missed the past five games due to a sprained left ankle, returned to the starting lineup and scored 10 points in 22 minutes.
It was the first meeting between the two teams since the Nuggets defeated the Lakers in the first round of the playoffs earlier this year. Denver also dominated in the Western Conference Finals the year before.
Denver trailed by six points at halftime, but dominated inside and outside, outscoring Los Angeles 37-15 in the third quarter and winning 70-39 in the second half.
takeout
Lakers: The Lakers led 63-57 at halftime, but a lackluster third quarter put them out of the game. This shows that there is still a lot of work to be done to break free from Denver’s grip.
Nuggets: Even playing second in back-to-back games and being on the road, Denver still had the legs to hit long-range shots. Denver made 16 of 32 3-pointers.
important moment
Westbrook put the finishing touches on an authoritative quarter with a putback dunk at the end of the third quarter, extending the lead to 94-77. Westbrook then celebrated by running down the floor and emphatically throwing his arms around him.
Main status
The Nuggets outscored the Lakers 20-4 in the paint in the third quarter, with Jokic scoring nine points in a crucial third set in which Denver scored 37 points.
to the next
The Nuggets will host the New York Knicks on Monday, while the Lakers will visit Phoenix to pave the way for back-to-back games.
