LOS ANGELES (AP) – Anthony Davis scored 25 points and had critical plays on both ends of the floor in the final minute as the short-handed Los Angeles Lakers snapped a three-game losing streak with a 93-89 victory over the Denver Nuggets Monday night. The Lakers led by 14 points midway through the fourth quarter before the Nuggets got within 89-87 with a late rally. Davis hit a jumper with 41.8 seconds remaining to give the Lakers a four-point lead. Nikola Jokic hit a pair of free throws to cut it in half, but Talen Horton-Tucker hit a reverse layup with 15.1 seconds left to push the advantage up to 93-89. After a Denver timeout, Davis blocked Facundo Campazzo’s 3-point attempt to end any hopes of a Nuggets’ returning and finishing their five-game winning streak.
The Lakers – who had lost six of their last seven going into the game – won without two key pieces. LeBron James did not play in the second back-to-back game after his ankle soreness during the fourth quarter of Sunday’s loss to Toronto. Dennis Schröder will be out more than a week after entering the NBA’s health and safety protocol.
Jokic led the Nuggets with 32 points, and Michael Porter Jr. added 19.
Los Angeles was up by five going into the fourth quarter when it started the period on a 13-4 run, with Wesley Matthews leading the way with eight points, including a pair of 3-pointers.
The Nuggets trailed 87-73 with 6:09 remaining when they rallied with a 14-2 run. Porter Jr. had nine points, including a running layup to get them within a basket with 1:37 remaining, and Jokic supplied the other five.
The Nuggets led most of the first half, but the Lakers closed the second quarter on an 11-3 run, including six points by Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, to go into halftime with a 45-42 advantage.
A pair of Jokic free throws gave the Nuggets a 56-55 lead midway through the third quarter when the Lakers responded with a 9-2 spurt to go up by six.
champions ring from the Lakers before the game. McGee signed with Cleveland during the offseason and was traded to Denver on March 25. This was his first trip back to Staples Center this season. He had eight of his 10 points in the second quarter. Lakers: Marc Gasol, who had not played in two of the past three games, entered the second half and played 17 minutes. He had 10 points, with all three field goals coming from the perimeter. … Alex Caruso started for the second straight game and scored 11 points.
UP NEXT
Nuggets: Host the Knicks on Wednesday.
Lakers: Will be the visiting team against the Clippers at Staples Center on Thursday.
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