Denver Nuggets (39-24) beat Los Angeles Lakers (37-25) 120-113 at home on Thursday, March 5.
The game, quarter by quarter
The Nuggets struck first, taking the opening quarter 32-22 and a 10-point lead after one. The teams matched each other with 32 points apiece in the second quarter; the Nuggets still led by 10 at halftime.
The Lakers won the third 32-29 to stay in front, taking a 7-point lead into the fourth. The teams matched each other with 27 points apiece in the fourth quarter, and the Nuggets closed regulation with a 120-113 lead.
What decided it
The Nuggets made 37.3 free throws per 100 field-goal attempts, compared with 11.5 for the Lakers. The Nuggets grabbed 21.2% of their own misses, while the Lakers recovered 15%. The points at the line gave them room for error elsewhere.
The Lakers did win one battle, ball security: TOV% of 10.2 against 18.1. The Nuggets made up for it elsewhere.
At roughly 99 possessions per team, the Nuggets produced 121.7 points per 100 possessions to 114.6 for the Lakers.
Who made the difference
Nikola Jokic was the game's biggest individual force for DEN: 28 pts, 12 reb, 13 ast on 10-15 shooting. His Game Score of 26.5 led everyone. His team was +6 with him on the floor.
Luka Doncic led the Lakers with 27 pts, 11 reb, 7 ast, 4 stl on 11-24 shooting, good for a 22.2 Game Score.
Nikola Jokic (28 pts, 12 reb, 13 ast) and Luka Doncic (27 pts, 11 reb, 7 ast) each recorded a double-double.
What it means
The result fit the pre-game Win Meter, which gave the Nuggets about a 70% chance.
Across the last 5 meetings in our records, Los Angeles Lakers lead 3-2.
The Nuggets are now 39-24, and the Lakers are 37-25. The Nuggets last five before this game: L-W-L-L-W.
Written automatically by Tip Off Live software from box score data. Ratings and probabilities are our own model estimates.