Los Angeles Lakers (42-25) beat Denver Nuggets (41-27) 127-125 at home on Saturday, March 14 in overtime.
The game, quarter by quarter
The Lakers struck first, taking the opening quarter 34-26 and a 8-point lead after one. The Lakers kept the pressure on with a 27-24 second quarter, carrying a 11-point lead into halftime.
The Nuggets won the third 37-26 to pull even, leaving the game tied at 87 entering the fourth. The teams matched each other with 31 points apiece in the fourth quarter, forcing overtime at 118.
The Lakers finally separated the teams in overtime, winning it 9-7 to close out a 127-125 victory.
What decided it
The Lakers got more from their shots, finishing at 59.1% effective field-goal shooting compared with 56.3% for the Nuggets. The Lakers grabbed 17.1% of their own misses, while the Nuggets recovered 15.2%. In a 2-point game, that shooting gap supplied the clearest edge.
At roughly 113 possessions per team, the Lakers produced 112.3 points per 100 possessions to 110.6 for the Nuggets.
The Nuggets' reserves also made a difference, outscoring the opposing bench 39-18.
Who stepped up
Nikola Jokic was the game's biggest individual force for DEN: 24 pts, 16 reb, 14 ast, 5 stl on 10-19 shooting. His Game Score of 31 led everyone. His team was +6 with him on the floor.
Austin Reaves led the Lakers with 32 pts, 7 reb, 6 ast on 12-21 shooting, good for a 25.9 Game Score.
Luka Doncic (30 pts, 11 reb, 13 ast) and Nikola Jokic (24 pts, 16 reb, 14 ast) each recorded a double-double.
What it means
The pre-game Win Meter had it close to a coin flip, at about 60% for the Lakers.
Across the last 6 meetings in our records, the series is even.
The Lakers are now 42-25, and the Nuggets are 41-27. The Lakers last five before this game: L-W-W-W-W.
Written automatically by Tip Off Live software from box score data. Ratings and probabilities are our own model estimates.