Luka Doncic helps the Lakers win against Nuggets without Jokic in Los Angeles | Basketball news
Luka Doncic led Los Angeles with 31 points while the Lakers beat Denver Nuggets 120-108.
Luka Doncic scored 21 of his 31 points in the first quarter, Austin Reaves added 22, and Los Angeles Lakers quickly started in a 120-108 house over a short hand of Nuggets.
Dorian Finney-Smith scored 14 points each, and Gabe Vincent and Dalton Knecht added 12 each, while the Lakers made their third victory and a ninth home win on Wednesday, despite playing without starter Lebron James for the fifth straight game and Rui Hachimura ninth straight.
The victory enabled the Lakers (43-25) to overcome Nuggets (44-26) for third place in the Western Conference. The teams shared the season of the series with two wins.
The Lakers 46 points were their fourth season in the biggest rating, while Doncic had the most points in any quarter since joining the Lakers last month. The Lakers hit nine three points in an introductory 12 minutes, binding to the franchise most in the period.
Aaron Gordon scored 26 points and 11 rebounds for Nuggets, playing without injured stars Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray.
Jalen Pickett scored 14 points for Denver, who fell to 3-4 from March 9th. Michael Porter Jr, Peyton Watson and Russell Westbrook scored 12 points.
The Lakers had their first double-digit lead less than three minutes in the game when Doncic made three pointers for an advantage of 14-2. Doncic was 7 of the 11 from the floor in the first quarter and 3 out of 5 from the range of three points.
The Lakers led 69-41 following a triple point from Knecht, just next to the middle of the second quarter. Denver started reading, surpassing Los Angeles 18-4 during the last 5:05 before halftime. The Lakers took 73-59 on the break.
Los Angeles got momentum in the second half, taking over the 94-74 lead, and 4:31 remained in the third quarter. The Lakers renewed the lead of 28 points, and the 105-77 advantage went to the last period.
The Lakers’ victory over the Nuggets achieves postseason for Los Angeles, which means he will get a home advantage in the playoff series against Denver.
Next for Lakers on Thursday is a home game against Milwaukee Bucks, while the Nuggets travel to Portland to play Trail Blazers on Friday.
