LOS ANGELES — The boos started during pregame introductions. A capacity crowd at Staples Center on Tuesday night let Jamal Murray know how they felt about the incident at the conclusion of Friday’s Nuggets and Lakers matchup that dominated much of the conversation in the days leading up to the two team’s rematch.
Laker fans got the last laugh Tuesday. Behind 26 points from Kyle Kuzma — 24 of which came in the second half — Los Angeles came back from a five-point deficit after the third quarter to lead 92-89 with seven minutes remaining in regulation. The Lakers held that advantage throughout the rest of the period as Los Angeles won 112-103 and stopped Denver’s two-game winning streak.
The exclamation point came with just over a minute remaining when a Julius Randle breakaway slam after two missed free-throws from Lonzo Ball put the Lakers up nine with just over a minute remaining. Randle finished with 26 points and 13 rebounds.
The Nuggets, whose offense had been firing on all cylinders as of late, couldn’t find their rhythm in the first half. Denver shot just 41 percent from the field and 5-17 (29.4 percent) from three in the first two quarters. Murray and Wilson Chandler both had 11 at the half to pace Denver.
Murray finished with 18 points on 5-11 shooting. Nikola Jokic, who battled foul trouble in the first half and tallied just two points before the break, finished with 15 points, nine rebounds and five assists. Wilson Chandler scored a team-high 26 points on 11-16 shooting.
For the Lakers, Lonzo Ball had a quiet offensive night and finished with five points, nine rebounds and eight assists. Isaiah Thomas had a strong night off the Lakers’ bench and chipped in 23 points in 31 minutes.
Denver (37-31) hosts the Detroit Pistons (30-37) on Tuesday at Pepsi Center.
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The evidence this year for the Nuggets has been clear–the best 5-man lineup for Denver is Murray, Harris, Barton, Chandler and Jokic–and when The Core of Murray, Harris and Jokic score and facilitate well in the 3-guard offense, Denver finds its identity and maximizes its current talent which seems to produce the most wins against the best teams. Maybe the season long evidence would have been different if Millsap did not have his injury, but he did. The Nuggets still have the talent and a moderate opportunity to make the playoffs, but it is going to be a Nugget Organizational Decision to go all in for the chase to the playoffs by maximizing the team’s strengths offensively or by complaining about why the team has not improved on its weaknesses defensively. KSE which choice would you prefer?– because the defense is not going to be the primary gamechanger THIS YEAR.