Gary Harris saves Nuggets in Los Angeles

Gary Harris checked into the game with 10 minutes remaining in the fourth quarter after watching the Lakers whittle Denver’s 23-point lead down to two from the Nuggets’ bench. Five minutes later, Harris had essentially ended the Lakers’ night.

Harris’ fourth-quarter flurry, where the Nuggets’ starting shooting guard went on a personal 11-0 run, pushed Denver’s lead back to nine points. Soon, the Nuggets’ advantage stretched to double digits as Denver escaped Los Angeles with a 115-99 win. The victory ends Denver’s three-game losing streak.

The Nuggets dominated the first half, leading by 18 points after the first quarter and 17 at the break. But the Lakers got back into the game in the third quarter where the Nuggets tallied just 19 points on 7-22 shooting. Denver needed Harris’ heroics down the stretch to avoid a debilitating loss. After Denver’s starters subbed in with 10 minutes remaining in regulation, the Nuggets went on a 28-14 run to close out the Lakers.

Will Barton scored a team-high 23 points for the Nuggets on 8-16 shooting. Paul Millsap added 16 points and eight rebounds. Jamal Murray finished with 19 points.

Torrey Craig went scoreless in four minutes of action but will be immortalized forever in LeBron James’ career highlight package. Craig was the closest defender for James’ and-1 layup with 5:38 remaining in the second quarter, which moved the Lakers’ forward past Michael Jordan for third place on the NBA’s all-time scoring list. However, it was all the Lakers celebrated Wednesday as the Nuggets

Denver travels to Golden State for a matchup with the Warriors on Friday.