Jokic leads Nuggets past struggling Lakers
LOS ANGELES -- Nikola Jokic scored 29 points and grabbed 15 rebounds, and the Denver Nuggets extended the woes of the Los Angeles Lakers with a 127-121 victory Tuesday night at Staples Center.
Will Barton contributed 26 points and eight assists, Kenneth Faried added 20 points and seven rebounds and Danilo Gallinari, Wilson Chandler and Emmanuel Mudiay each chipped in 14 points for the Nuggets (17-23), who won on the Lakers' home floor for the seventh consecutive time.
Lou Williams scored 24 points to pace the Lakers (15-31), who dropped their fifth in a row. Nick Young collected 22 points, while Jordan Clarkson scored 19. Brandon Ingram had 15 points and rookie center Ivica Zubac earned his first double-double with 11 points and 13 boards for Los Angeles.
The Nuggets, who led by as many as 19, kept a double-digit lead for much of the second half until the Lakers rallied late in the final quarter. Clarkson's 3-pointer pulled the Lakers within 120-119 with 1:52 remaining. But the Nuggets were able to hold off the Lakers with timely buckets.
A dunk by Chandler and a Barton layup put the Nuggets up 124-120 with 58 seconds left. A free throw by Chandler made it a five-point advantage for Denver with 29 seconds remaining.
That was too much for the Lakers to overcome as they fell for the 21st time in 26 games.
A sizzling shooting exhibition boosted the Nuggets to a 66-54 advantage at the break. Denver shot 64.1 percent in the first half compared to 36.4 percent for the Lakers. The Nuggets converted 58.3 percent of their 3-pointers compared to 33.3 percent for the Lakers before intermission.
Four of the Nuggets' five starters reached double digits before the half, led by Faried and Barton with 14 points each.
For the game, the Nuggets shot 56.8 percent to 43.5 for the Lakers. From long distance, Denver hit 42.3 percent of its attempts to 36.7 for Los Angeles.
Both teams performed without one of their starters. The Nuggets were missing guard Gary Harris, who suffered right ankle sprain Monday night against the Orlando Magic.
Lakers forward Luol Deng sat out with an injured right wrist. Deng was hurt Sunday against the Detroit Pistons.
NOTES: Ball movement was the key to the Nuggets averaging 132.5 points and 35 assists in their last two wins over the Orlando Magic and Indiana Pacers. Denver coach Mike Malone noted one of the reasons for the team's success was PG Emmanuel Mudiay, who recorded a career-high 13 assists in the win over the Magic. "People forget he's a 20-year-old kid in his second season in the NBA, but I've seen growth, I've seen development and I see his confidence out there," Malone said. ... Lakers G Lou Williams (17.8 points) and G Jordan Clarkson (13.9) rank second and sixth, respectively, for the NBA's top scoring reserves. ... The Nuggets visit the San Antonio Spurs on Thursday. ... On Friday, the Lakers host the Pacers.