After an NBA Cup loss in Denver, the Nuggets bounced back Saturday by dominating the second half en route to a 127-102 win over the Lakers to split their weekend back-to-back.
Including playoff matchups, Denver (9-6) has won 13 of its last 14 games against the Lakers. The Nuggets will be back in action Monday at home against the Knicks.
MPJ leads game-winning run in 3rd
Trailing 63-57 at halftime, the Nuggets once again needed a jolt from their starting lineup. And once again, they conjured a game-changing run by harnessing the power of Michael Porter Jr.
He was an integral part of the 27-6 surge Friday that nearly resulted in a comeback win against the Mavericks. And he was at the center of Denver’s dominant third quarter again 24 hours later in Los Angeles. Led by Porter’s 13 points, six rebounds and two assists in the frame, the Nuggets outscored the Lakers 37-14 while he was on the floor. His night ended with 24, 11 and four on 10-of-15 shooting.
The most impressive aspect of Porter’s start to the season might be that he’s comfortably averaging a career high in assists with 3.0 per game, but without sacrificing anything as a scorer. He’s making the extra swing pass when it’s sensible, including one Saturday to Jamal Murray for a corner three.
One milestone achieved, another narrowly missed
Michael Malone has passed Doug Moe as the winningest coach in Nuggets history with his 433rd regular-season win. He did it in 56 fewer games than Moe, perhaps fittingly clinching the record with a triumph over the opponent that Denver has owned more than any other during the peak of Malone’s tenure.
It would have also been fitting for Nikola Jokic to tie Magic Johnson at 136 career triple-doubles in Los Angeles, but it didn’t work out so poetically, despite another excellent game from the MVP center. Jokic finished with 34 points, 13 rebounds, eight assists and two steals. He added a 3-for-7 night to his league-leading 3-point percentage, and the misses included one of the goofiest shots of his career: an 80-foot tip-in attempt at the third-quarter buzzer, volleyball punch-style.
Jokic is now 56.3% from outside this season. When he does record his next triple-double, he will tie Johnson for the third-most in NBA history.
Point guard watch: Russ revenge game while Murray struggles
Murray’s early-season slump seeped into his free-throw shooting in Los Angeles, where he missed four of six attempts in a 14-point game. The good news for Denver is that Murray has continued to contribute as a rebounder and playmaker amid his scoring issues. The scoring just happens to be the most important attribute the Nuggets need from him.
In the meantime, Russell Westbrook went for another 14 points, seven rebounds and 11 assists, bringing his success as a Nugget into the arena where he and the Lakers once struggled together. He windmilled his arms several times to celebrate after an emphatic put-back dunk in the third and shouted to the crowd after burying a 3-pointer in the fourth.