National Basketball Association
Denver 127, L.A. Lakers 121
When: 10:30 PM ET, Tuesday, January 17, 2017
Where: Staples Center, Los Angeles, California
Officials:
#32 Marat Kogut, #14 Ed Malloy, #58 Josh Tiven
Attendance:
18412
By The Sports Xchange
LOS ANGELES -- Another standout performance by Nikola Jokic and a balanced attack from the high-scoring Denver Nuggets allowed them to hold off the Los Angeles Lakers.
Jokic scored 29 points and grabbed 15 rebounds, and the Nuggets extended the woes of the Lakers with a 127-121 victory Tuesday night at Staples Center.
The Nuggets, who are averaging 130.7 points and 33 assists per game during their three-game winning streak, prevailed by holding off a late Lakers' spurt and being outscored 37-26 in the fourth quarter.
"We blew the lead, but we stayed together," said Jokic, who had 30 points, 11 rebounds and five assists in a 125-112 victory over the Orlando Magic on Monday. "We had really good defensive stops in the last minute. The offense was really good for us. We have (plenty of) people playing good for us."
Will Barton contributed 26 points and eight assists, Kenneth Faried added 20 points and seven rebounds and Danilo Gallinari, Wilson Chandler and Emmanuel Mudiay each chipped in 14 points for the Nuggets (17-23), who won on the Lakers' home floor for the seventh consecutive time.
Denver's starters accounted for 103 of the team's points.
"Early in the season, we probably lost this game, to be honest," said Chandler had four of the team's 10 blocks. "But everybody held their composure, everybody made big plays. (Jokic), Will, Emmanuel, they made some big plays so we were able to get the win."
Lou Williams scored 24 points to pace the Lakers (15-31), who dropped their fifth in a row. Nick Young collected 22 points, while Jordan Clarkson scored 19. Brandon Ingram had 15 points, rookie center Ivica Zubac earned his first double-double with 11 points and 13 boards and Tarik Black scored a season-high 14 points with eight rebounds for Los Angeles.
"What an effort those guys gave," Lakers coach Luke Walton said. "I wish I had a few more timeouts to get them more rest because they were leaving everything they had out there on the floor. That's a big lineup that Denver rolls out there, and our guys were really fighting."
The Nuggets, who led by as many as 19, kept a double-digit lead for much of the second half until the final quarter. Clarkson's 3-pointer pulled the Lakers within 120-119 with 1:52 remaining. But the Nuggets were able to hold off the Lakers with timely buckets.
A dunk by Chandler and a Barton layup put the Nuggets up 124-120 with 58 seconds left. A free throw by Chandler made it a five-point advantage for Denver with 29 seconds remaining.
That was too much for the Lakers to overcome as they fell for the 21st time in 26 games.
"We had enough poise down the stretch to pull out a tight game," Denver coach Mike Malone said.
A sizzling shooting exhibition boosted the Nuggets to a 66-54 advantage at the break. Denver shot 64.1 percent in the first half compared to 36.4 percent for the Lakers. The Nuggets converted 58.3 percent of their 3-pointers compared to 33.3 percent for the Lakers before intermission.
Four of the Nuggets' five starters reached double figures before the half, led by Faried and Barton with 14 points each.
For the game, the Nuggets shot 56.8 percent to 43.5 for the Lakers. From long distance, Denver hit 42.3 percent of its attempts to 36.7 for Los Angeles.
"This is a good fight. We have to have that fight and carry it over to the next game," said Lakers point guard D'Angelo Russell, who didn't put up much of a battle with five points on 2-of-9 shooting.
Both teams performed without one of their starters. The Nuggets were missing guard Gary Harris, who suffered a right ankle sprain Monday night against the Orlando Magic.
Lakers forward Luol Deng sat out with an injured right wrist. Deng was hurt Sunday against the Detroit Pistons.
NOTES: Ball movement has been a key to the Nuggets' recent run. Denver coach Mike Malone noted one of the reasons for the team's success is PG Emmanuel Mudiay, who recorded a career-high 13 assists in the win over the Magic. "People forget he's a 20-year-old kid in his second season in the NBA, but I've seen growth, I've seen development and I see his confidence out there," Malone said. ... Lakers G Lou Williams (17.8 points) and G Jordan Clarkson (13.9) ranked second and sixth, respectively, for the NBA's top scoring reserves entering the contest. ... The Nuggets visit the San Antonio Spurs on Thursday. ... On Friday, the Lakers host the Pacers.
Top Game Performances
Denver |
|
L.A. Lakers |
Nikola Jokic 29 |
Scoring |
Lou Williams 24 |
Will Barton 8 |
Assists |
Julius Randle 7 |
Nikola Jokic 15 |
Rebounds |
Ivica Zubac 13 |
Wilson Chandler 4 |
Free Throws Made |
Lou Williams 6 |
Emmanuel Mudiay 2 |
Steals |
Brandon Ingram 3 |
Wilson Chandler 3 |
Blocks |
Ivica Zubac 3 |
Team Stats Summary
Team |
Points |
FG% |
3PM-3PA |
FTM-FTA |
Assists |
Rebounds |
Blocks |
Steals |
Turnovers |
Denver
|
127 |
56.8 |
11-26 |
16-26 |
29 |
45 |
9 |
5 |
17 |
L.A. Lakers
|
121 |
43.5 |
11-30 |
16-18 |
28 |
43 |
5 |
11 |
12 |
Upcoming Games
-
L.A. Lakers will play their next game at home against Indiana. The Lakers have a W/L % of .267 after a win and .355 after a loss.
-
Denver will play their next game on the road against San Antonio. The Nuggets have a W/L % of .412 after a win and .435 after a loss.