The Los Angeles Lakers continued their strong home stretch with a convincing 120-108 win over the Denver Nuggets on Wednesday night.
Luka Doncic led the way with 31 points, nine rebounds, and seven assists in just three quarters, propelling Los Angeles (43-25) to its ninth consecutive home victory. The Lakers, who have won three straight games, remain in third place in the Western Conference.
Denver (44-26) was without Nikola Jokic (elbow) and Jamal Murray (ankle) for the second straight contest. Aaron Gordon stepped up with 26 points and 11 rebounds, but it wasn’t enough to keep the Nuggets from dropping to fourth in the West.
Los Angeles opened the game with its best offensive quarter of the season, scoring 46 points behind Doncic’s 21-point explosion. The Lakers’ star set the tone early, scoring nine points in less than three minutes and 20 in just eight minutes.
Austin Reaves contributed 22 points and eight assists, while Dorian Finney-Smith, Gabe Vincent, and Dalton Knecht each added double-digit scoring. Los Angeles had six players finish with at least 10 points.
By the end of the third quarter, the Lakers had built a 28-point lead, allowing Doncic to rest ahead of a busy home stretch.
Denver managed to score 108 points despite missing its top two stars, but defense proved to be the bigger issue. The Lakers shot 50.6% from the field and hit 16 three-pointers while dominating in transition.
