Lakers Hold Off Nuggets 120-116 To Snap Latest Losing Streak
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Nick Young scored 23 points, Lou Williams added 21 and the Los Angeles Lakers survived a frantic fourth quarter to snap their seven-game home losing streak against Denver, beating the Nuggets 120-116 on Tuesday night.
Rookie Ivica Zubac scored a career-high 17 points for the Lakers, who snapped their three-game skid despite getting outscored 40-39 in the wild final period.
Wilson Chandler scored 12 of his 26 points in the fourth for the Nuggets, whose three-game winning streak ended with just their third loss in 10 games.
D'Angelo Russell had 22 points, a career-high 10 assists and seven rebounds for the Lakers in his return from a three-game absence with a pair of mild leg injuries. His pick-and-rolls with Zubac allowed the Lakers to generate consistent offense in the fourth quarter.
The Nuggets hit their first six 3-point attempts and scored 11 consecutive points to open the fourth, but Williams scored 13 points in the final period and Zubac added eight.
Williams put the Lakers ahead to stay on a layup with 2:17 left. Zubac and Russell added jumpers on the Lakers' next two possessions.
Kenneth Faried had 14 points and 17 rebounds, but managed only two points and three boards after halftime in the Nuggets' second straight game without rising Serbian star Nikola Jokic.
The Nuggets beat the Lakers at Staples Center two weeks ago, and they hadn't lost a road game in this rivalry since November 2012 during the Lakers' most recent playoff season. But the Lakers had the previous four days off, and it showed in a resilient offensive performance.
The Lakers played their second straight game without starting forward Julius Randle, who is recovering from pneumonia.
TIP-INS
Nuggets: Jokic did light work in practice, and coach Michael Malone calls him day-to-day. Jokic has a strained hip flexor. ... Faried was outrebounding the Lakers' entire roster for much of the first quarter. He finished the first half with 14 boards, compared with 20 by the Lakers.
Lakers: They have just one home game in the next 25 days, with a five-game East Coast road trip beginning Thursday. ... Russell hadn't played since getting hurt on the second possession of a win over Indiana on Jan. 20. ... David Beckham watched the game at courtside. So did current LA Galaxy stars Giovani Dos Santos and Romain Alessandrini, the French midfielder officially signed from Marseille earlier in the day. ... Timofey Mozgov had 12 points against his former team. The Russian was with Denver from 2010-15. ... The Lakers hope Randle will be ready for their upcoming road trip.
UP NEXT
Nuggets: Host Grizzlies on Wednesday.
Lakers: At Wizards on Thursday.
