The Los Angeles Lakers suffered a sensitive bankruptcy at the Denver Nuggets. Nikola Jokic & Co. outlasted the 2020 champions and inflicted the Lakers’ biggest loss of the season.
Denver Nuggets (22-19) – Los Angeles Lakers (21-22) 133: 96 (BOXSCORE)
The Serbian only had to stay on the field for 28 minutes and was able to watch the final quarter comfortably from the bench. Jokic had previously provided the Lakers with 17 points, 13 assists and 12 rebounds with unresolved problems, and this was his eighth hat-trick this season.
Coins benefited above all from being shot. Denver scored 23/40 from the three streak, with rookie Bones Hyland in particular. Substitute 27 scored his career-high off the bench and sunk 6/10 three times (plus 9 rebounds). Jeff Green hit his personal highest of the season at 26.
In the Lakers, LeBron James tried a lot and got 25 points (9/23 FG) and 9 rebounds, but he wasn’t able to put energy into the bloodless Lakers team. Russell Westbrook still had 19 points, otherwise Dwight Howard would have been the only player in the double with 13 points.
Lakers vs Dwight Howard in the fifth start
The Lakers recently had some defensive issues with LeBron as the starting center, against Djokic that they didn’t even risk and ordered Howard into the five starts for the first time in a long time. The Big Man opened the game alongside LeBron, Westbrook, Avery Bradley and Malik Monk, while at the other end Monte Morris, Will Barton, Aaron Gordon and Green started alongside Jokic.
In fact, Howard was the most successful scorer in the first quarter with 11 points: Monk found him multiple times for lob passes, and Howard himself collected three offensive rebounds and recycled trash. However, the Nuggets had a hot hand from downtown: Their first six attempts were all in, and Hyland went down twice and was Denver’s top scorer in the first quarter with 8 points (34:29).
It was Hyland who kept the gas in the second quarter. Thirty more have drowned, Then unleash an irresistible spinning action He led the Nuggets in the 15-5 round which forced Vogel out of time. Although LeBron and Westbrook now scored seriously on the other side, Denver dominated. Jokic was on the verge of a hat-trick in the first half (14, 9, 9). 73:60 to Denver.
Nikola Jokic calls it a day early
A similar picture appeared in the third quarter. Denver led by 19 points, then midway through the third quarter Gordon and Westbrook battled after a Lakers guard complained about Gordon’s defense—both of which conceded technically. However, little has changed in the game, even if Ross later sank at least on his first three of the year after 15 tickets previously. 102:79 for Denver after three quarters.
And it got worse – while Jokic watched the entire final quarter off the bench, Vaco Campazzo was allowed to do a little magic and Denver extended their lead to 41 (!) The Lakers’ third bankruptcy in a row closed long ago.
The Lakers have not had a win against teams with a positive record for a month now (0-6). This was Denver’s biggest win over Los Angeles in franchise history.
