Jamal Murray scored 29 points, Michael Porter Jr. added 27 and the visiting Denver Nuggets opened a three-game road trip by holding on for a 114-106 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday.
Nikola Jokic had 24 points, 13 rebounds and nine assists for the Nuggets, who extended their winning streak to three games and improved to 8-2 in their past 10 contests. Murray had 11 assists and seven rebounds, while Porter grabbed eight boards.
The Lakers tied the game 104-104 with 2:18 remaining on a 3-pointer from Austin Reaves, but Murray and Porter combined for five points each in a 10-0 run over the final two minutes to put away the game.
It was the first time the Western Conference teams faced each other since Denver earned 119-107 home victory in the season opener for both.
Anthony Davis finished with 32 points and nine rebounds and LeBron James logged 25 points, nine rebounds and seven assists for the Lakers, who were playing in their first game since going 4-2 on a two-week road trip.
Reaves amassed 15 points and 10 assists and Taurean Prince added 13 points for the Lakers, who had their three-game winning streak end.
Neither the Nuggets nor the Lakers made a move in advance of Thursday’s trade deadline.
After trailing by as many as 15 points in the third quarter, the Lakers closed within 83-79 heading into the final period.
Three times the Lakers pulled within a point in the fourth quarter before they tied it 94-94 with 6:41 remaining on an alley-oop dunk from Davis. Los Angeles tied it again at 100-100 and also at 104-104 with 2:18 left but couldn’t move in front late.
The Nuggets led by as many as 12 in the second quarter before taking a 59-49 advantage into the half. Murray had 14 points and seven assists for Denver before the break.
Thursday’s game came after the Lakers held a ceremony to unveil a statue for the late Kobe Bryant. The statue was the seventh to represent the Lakers at Crypto.com Arena, and it was the first of a planned three that will honor Bryant.
–Field Level Media