LOS ANGELES — In a script that’s starting to sound familiar in Nuggets Nation, Denver started slow Thursday night before pulling away in the second half to take a commanding 3-0 lead over the Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference First Round.
Nikola Jokic fell one assist shy of another triple-double, finishing with 24 points, 15 rebounds and 9 assists. Aaron Gordon scored 29 points and grabbed 15 boards of his own.
Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. scored 22 and 20, respectively, as the Nuggets beat LA, 112-105.
The Lakers jumped out to an 8-0 lead to start the game Thursday at crypto.com Arena. They led by 10 after the first and by four at halftime, marking the third straight contest in which Denver trailed LA at the break and came back to win.
The third quarter has been good to the Nuggets in this series, and that continued in Game 3. Denver outscored Los Angeles by 12 in the third and have now outpaced the Lakers by 31 points in the third across the three games thus far.
Lakers big man Anthony Davis continued an impressive series, pouring in another 33 points. Lebron James scored 26 in the loss. D'Angelo Russell, who hit seven 3-pointers in Game 2 en route to 23 points, went 0-7 Thursday and was held scoreless.
The Nuggets got the win despite a dreadful 5-of-28 night from 3-point range. The Lakers weren't much better, going 5-of-27 from long distance.
For Denver, it marks 11 consecutive wins over the Lakers, dating back to January of 2023.
Nuggets guard Reggie Jackson sprained his left ankle after landing on the foot of Davis while going for a rebound, the team confirmed.
Denver Nuggets first-round schedule
Here's a look at how you can watch all of Denver's first-round playoff games against Los Angeles (all times MT):
- Game 4: Nuggets vs. Lakers; Saturday, April 27 (6:30 p.m., Denver7)
- Game 5: Lakers vs. Nuggets; Monday, April 29 (TBD, TBD)* - if necessary
- Game 6: Nuggets vs. Lakers; Thursday, May 2 (TBD, TBD)* - if necessary
- Game 7: Lakers vs. Nuggets; Saturday, May 4 (TBD, TNT)* - if necessary
