Nuggets 116, Lakers 105
LOS ANGELES -- D.J. Augustin came off the bench to score 20 points, and the Denver Nuggets used a fourth-quarter surge to beat the Los Angeles Lakers 116-105 Friday night at Staples Center.
Jusuf Nurkic added 18 points and Will Barton chipped in 16 more, allowing the Nuggets (31-42) to defeat the Lakers for the sixth straight time at Staples. Gary Harris had 13 points and Nikola Jokic collected 12 rebounds and eight points.
Kobe Bryant scored 28 points to pace the Lakers (15-57), who have dropped six of their last seven games. Lakers forward Julius Randle recorded a triple-double with 13 points, 18 rebounds and 10 assists. Lou Williams had 14 points for Los Angeles.
A 17-6 start to open the fourth quarter sparked the Nuggets. After Lakers forward Brandon Bass scored the first basket of the quarter to pull the Lakers within 83-79, the Nuggets used their run for a 100-85 lead after Joffrey Lauvergne scored with 6:18 remaining in the contest. Los Angeles never got the lead under double digits again.
The Lakers rallied from a 12-point halftime disadvantage in the third quarter. Jokic's bucket gave the Nuggets a 76-58 edge with 5:57 left in the quarter, but a 3-pointer by Williams, a jumper by Marcelo Huertas and a dunk by Larry Nance Jr. helped fuel a 21-9 run to end the quarter and slice the deficit to 83-77 heading into the final quarter.
The Lakers led 31-24 after one period, but the Nuggets seized control in the second quarter. They used a 26-8 run for a 50-39 advantage after a 3-pointer by Augustin with 3:55 left in the second. Denver took a 58-46 lead at the break.
The Nuggets outscored the Lakers 34-15 and outshot them 56 percent to 21.1 percent in the second quarter.
Bryant scored 11 points in the third.
The Nuggets played again without Kenneth Faried, who missed his fifth consecutive game with lower back soreness.
Lakers rookie point guard D'Angelo Russell suffered a right ankle sprain late in the second quarter and did not return. Russell finished with two points in 12 minutes.
NOTES: Both coaches expected another competitive battle between rookie PGs D'Angelo Russell of Los Angeles and Denver's Emmanuel Mudiay, the No. 2 and No. 7 picks of last summer's NBA draft. "I think they'll both kind of go at each other tonight a little bit, but I don't want (Russell) to worry about that," Lakers coach Byron Scott said. "I want him worrying about getting our team where they need to be and getting them in the position to be successful, and trying to do some of the little things we've been talking about doing." ... Lakers F Kobe Bryant averaged 24.8 points in 65 previous games against the Nuggets. ... Both clubs resume play Sunday in a doubleheader at Staples. The Nuggets face the Los Angeles Clippers in the opener, while the Lakers play the Washington Wizards in the nightcap.