Nuggets continue cold shooting from 3, suffer first loss of season in L.A.

LOS ANGELES — Want a stat that’s even more surprising than the amount of points the Nuggets are giving up to begin the regular season? After hitting 37 percent of their three-pointers last year, good for seventh-best in the league, Denver’s started its 2018-19 campaign ice cold from beyond the arc. Coming into Thursday’s matchup, the Nuggets were shooting under 30 percent from distance as a team and ranked near the bottom of the league.

Denver’s lack of three-point shooting finally caught up to the Nuggets on Thursday night in Los Angeles. Denver shot just 6-23 from three and fell 121-114 to the Lakers.

The Lakers closed the game on a 23-8 run. The Nuggets led 106-98  before LeBron James and the Lakers’ caught fire to retake the lead.

Nikola Jokic led the Nuggets with 24 points, 10 rebounds and three assists. Jamal Murray added 22 points and 10 assists. Backup point guard Monte Morris had his best game as a pro, finishing with a career-high 20 points to go with seven assists.

Elsewhere for Denver, Gary Harris struggled on the offensive end of the floor, shooting just 6-13 from the field for 13 points. Trey Lyles (11 points) and Mason Plumlee (10 points) also finished in double figures.

The Nuggets shot just 3-14 from three in the first half. Denver’s starters combined to shoot only 3-19 from three.

For the Lakers, James finished with 28 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists. JaVale McGee added 21 points and seven rebounds.