Luka Doncic delivered a triple-double masterpiece with 38 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists as the Los Angeles Lakers stormed back to beat the Denver Nuggets 115-107 on Tuesday night.
LeBron James scored 19 points for Los Angeles, which played the entire second half without center Deandre Ayton after he suffered a left eye injury. The Lakers erased a 16-point third-quarter deficit and closed the game with a dominant late run.
Jamal Murray led Denver with 28 points and 11 assists, scoring 26 of those points in the first half. He cooled off after intermission, however, going just 1-for-5 in the second half as the Nuggets couldn’t hold on. Aaron Gordon and Peyton Watson added 18 points apiece.
Despite being without four rotation players, including Nikola Jokic, who missed his 12th straight game with a hyperextended left knee, Denver appeared in control early. The Nuggets jumped out to a 13-point first-quarter lead and extended it to 71-57 at halftime behind a dazzling late flurry from Murray, who capped the half with a 56-foot buzzer-beater.
Los Angeles flipped the momentum in the third quarter, outscoring Denver 29-17 to cut the deficit to 88-86. The Lakers tied the game early in the fourth and then seized control with a 16-0 run, highlighted by Dončić’s two free throws that gave Los Angeles its first lead at 6:42.
The win added another chapter to the growing rivalry between the teams, which began in the 2023 Western Conference finals when Denver swept the Lakers on its way to the NBA title.
Up next:
*Lakers: Visit the Los Angeles Clippers on Thursday night.
Nuggets: Open a three-game road trip at Washington on Thursday night.*
