The Los Angeles Lakers have done a fairly good job of competing against and beating the NBA’s best teams over the last 12 months. But during that time, there has seemingly been one team they just haven’t been able to overcome: the Denver Nuggets. On Saturday, the Nuggets came to Crypto.com Arena, giving L.A. an opportunity to end a seven-game losing streak to them.
The Lakers got off to an early 29-18 lead thanks to some hot shooting and their running game. After LeBron James went out with 3:19 left in the first quarter for rest, their lead dwindled to 33-27 at the end of the period, but they were able to maintain their advantage in the second quarter and take a 66-58 edge into halftime.
However, the Nuggets chipped away and gained the lead with three minutes and change left in the third period while building a big advantage on the boards. It was in the third quarter that the Lakers’ energy and aggressiveness seemed to wane.
Dating back to last season’s Western Conference Finals, it has been the late runs by the Nuggets that have allowed them to put the Lakers away. That was true yet again on Saturday when 9-0 run late in the fourth quarter turned a 110-108 L.A. lead into a seven-point lead for Denver and ultimately a 124-114 victory for Nikola Jokić and crew.
The Lakers are now 3-3 since the All-Star break during a rough stretch that will ultimately help determine whether they have a good chance of making the playoffs. With this loss, they’re 33-29 on the season and in 10th place in the Western Conference, and they’re half a game behind the ninth-place Golden State Warriors.