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The Denver Nuggets faced off against the LA Lakers for the third and final time this season on Saturday. Denver, which won the previous two meetings, could hand another sweep to their rivals. The Nuggets have not lost to the Lakers since December 2022, a stretch that included a 4-0 romp in last year's Western Conference Finals.
LeBron James was the biggest story heading into the mouthwatering showdown. The four-time MVP, who had 39,991 career points, needed nine more to become the first player to hit 40K in that category. James has not top 10 points just nine times in his 21-year career, so the celebration was likely unfolding in the first half.
James didn't score until 6:20 in the first quarter but LA's offense hummed. Rui Hachimura, Anthony Davis and Austin Reaves spearheaded the charge, combining for 23 points to tow the Lakers to a 33-27 lead.
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LeBron James eventually reached the historic milestone with 10:38 in the second quarter. He did it by eluding Michael Porter Jr.'s defense to score a lefty layup. James became the first player to hit 40K career points with his bucket.
Nikola Jokic and Porter Jr. led the Denver Nuggets with 16 and 15 points, respectively. Jamal Murray, who played through an ankle injury, had seven points. The defending champs trailed 66-58 after the first 24 minutes ended.
Denver's defense bared its teeth in the third quarter to methodically cut the LA Lakers' lead. Jokic hit several difficult shots to inpsire the Nuggets. Murray shook off his struggles to add eight points.
Austin Reaves already had a double-double halfway through the third period. He already had 14 points and 11 assists. Rui Hachimura continued to sizzle with 23 points to keep the Nuggets from running away. After 36 minutes, the Nuggets and Lakers were tied at 89.
The fourth quarter was a seesaw battle that the fans came to expect. Both teams traded their best punches with neither wilting in the slugest. It wasn't until roughly two minutes left in the final period that the Denver Nuggets uncorked a 9-0 run that gave them a 119-112 lead.
The LA Lakers had no answert to the two-man game between Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray during that stretch. Jokic's nifty alley-oop pass to Aaron Gordon gave the Nuggets a 124-114 advantage which turned out to be the final score.
Denver's win kept it unbeaten after the All-Star break with its six straight win and improved its record to 41-19. The loss ruined a special night for LeBron James and dropped LA's win-loss slate to 33-28.
Denver Nuggets vs LA Lakers game player stats and box scores
Denver Nuggets game player stats
LA Lakers game player stats
LeBron James and Jamal Murray struggled from the 3-point line
LeBron James and Jamal Murray played crucial roles for the LA Lakers and Denver Nuggets, respectively. The two, however, weren't quite efficient from behind the arc on Saturday. They combined to hit 3-for-10 from deep.
James went 2-for-5 while Murray was even worse, hitting just 1-for-5 of his shots. The NBA's career points leader finished 12-for-20 overall and tallied a team-high 26 points. Denver's starting point guard ended the night with 24 on 11-for-23 shooting.
The biggest difference was the timing of the points. Jamal Murray scored several clutch baskets late for the Denver Nuggets. LeBron James couldn't respond in the same way in the LA Lakers' frustrating loss.
