By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
The Denver Nuggets leaned on their efficient second-half outing to manhandle the Los Angeles Lakers, 127-102, in the ongoing NBA regular season on November 24, 2024.
Fresh off a demoralizing defeat at the hands of the Doncic-less Dallas Mavericks two days ago, the Nuggets poured all of their frustrations onto the Lakers and re-entered the NBA winning column to improve to a win-loss record of 9-6.
Shades of their closeout performance against Dallas took a toll in the second quarter, when they let their eight-point lead evaporate by allowing LeBron James to drive in their interior at will.
Due to some defensive miscues and laziness in deploying help, the Lakers took a six-point cushion heading into the second half, 63-57, to recover from a sloppy first-quarter outing.
However, the Nuggets flipped the switch and mapped out the much-needed adjustments at the start of the third, boosted by Nikola Jokic’s more aggressive approach in scoring the leather rather than feeding his teammates.
It was a different version of the reigning NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP) in the last two quarters as he asserted his dominance in the paint, scoring on several wild possessions while also fishing for fouls to put the Nuggets in early trips to the free throw line.
The Nuggets capped off the third quarter with a lopsided 37-15 scoring run and turned what was once a nip-and-tuck affair into a one-sided beating.
Los Angeles attempted to salvage their chances in the last 12 minutes of the ball game but Anthony Davis, who erupted for 39 points during their last game against Orlando, only chipped in 14 markers on a dismal 6/19 shooting from the field.
Davis’ struggles from the field were a huge blow to the Lakers, with Austin Reaves the only guy to reach the 19-point mark alongside six assists and three rebounds.
After opening the third frame with a commanding 16-point lead, the Nuggets never looked back and ballooned their cushion to 29 points with only 4:34 remaining in the game.
Jokic was phenomenal for Denver as their franchise player tallied a near triple-double effort of 34 points, 13 rebounds, eight assists, two steals, and a block.
The Serbian powerhouse shot efficiently from the field, draining 12 out of his 20 total attempts including 7/8 from the charity stripe.
Michael Porter Jr. maintained his waxing hot hands for Denver and backstopped Jokic with 24 markers derived from four three-pointers while also pulling down 11 boards.
The Nuggets will look to sustain their momentum on November 26, 2024, as they are set to defend their home court against the visiting New York Knicks while the Lakers seek to bounce back and end their skid the day after against the Phoenix Suns.
