Nikola Jokic had 28 points, 13 assists and 12 rebounds to overcome nine turnovers, and the host Denver Nuggets beat the Los Angeles Lakers 120-113 on Thursday night in a crucial Western Conference matchup.
LeBron James finished with 16 points on 7-for-11 shooting to reach another milestone in his 23rd season. James entered the night two behind Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in made field goals in NBA history and passed the all-time great on a 12-foot turnaround jumper in the first quarter.
James, who now has made 15,842 shots in his career, didn’t reach the end of the game, though. He exited with 3:58 to go in the fourth quarter after sinking a layup, falling to the floor and hurting his left elbow.
In the first quarter, Los Angeles’ Deandre Ayton exited for good due to a knee injury. Coach JJ Redick had no substantive updates about either player postgame.
Jamal Murray scored 28 points, Julian Strawther had 18 points, Christian Braun contributed 15 points and Tim Hardaway Jr. added 14 off the bench for the Nuggets.
Luka Doncic had 27 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists but picked up his 15th technical foul of the season in the second quarter. One more and he will serve a one-game suspension.
Jaxson Hayes scored 19 points and Rui Hachimura and Austin Reaves finished with 16 points each for the Lakers, who had their three-game winning streak stopped.
Denver, playing without four of its top forwards, led the entire game. The Nuggets were up 102-91 early in the fourth when Los Angeles rallied, getting within 112-111 with 2:05 left after Reaves split a pair of free throws.
Jokic hit a short hook to make it a three-point lead, and then followed Smart’s missed 3-pointer with a running layup to make it 116-111 with 22.3 seconds left.
Doncic missed a 3-pointer from the top of the arc with 20.1 seconds left and Denver closed it out at the line.
The teams traded runs in the first half, with the Nuggets leading by as many as 15, and took a 64-54 advantage into halftime.
The Lakers pulled within 82-78 midway through the third quarter, Denver responded to lead by 11 but Doncic hit a pair of 3-pointers in the final minute, including a sharp-angle bank shot to make it 93-86 heading into the fourth.
–Field Level Media
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