Game ID: 22300740
Denver Nuggets @ Los Angeles Lakers
Thursday, February 8, 2024 at 10:00 PM ET
Crypto.com Arena, Los Angeles, CA
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Final
LAL 23 26 30 27 106DEN 29 30 24 31 114
DEN @ LAL ScoutingDEN @ LAL Scouting
Welcome to the scouting desk. The coffee is cold, the film is play-by-play, and somebody has to explain what happened.
Every game has a hinge — a stretch where it was decided, usually while everyone was watching something else. Start where the evidence lives: the Lineups' face-offs say which five actually won their minutes; the Possessions ledger says who ran ahead of the night's own pace; the Shot Chart says where the points really came from, which is rarely where the highlights were. When all three agree, that is the story. When they don't — that is why this desk has a chair.
LAL availability going into 1/30 · back-to-backOUT Reddish missed 3 since 1/25, out tonight
OUT Vincent missed 20 since 12/21, out tonight
BACK Hayes back 1/29 after 2, 14 min since (112% of 12)
NEW Russell 33 to 40 min over the last 5
LAL availability going into 2/01 · 1 day's restOUT Reddish missed 4 since 1/25, out tonight
OUT Vincent missed 21 since 12/21, out tonight
BACK Hayes back 1/29 after 2, 19 min since (157% of 12)
NEW Russell 33 to 39 min over the last 5
NEW Vanderbilt 20 to 25 min over the last 5
LAL availability going into 2/03 · 1 day's restOUT Davis missed 2 since 1/30, returns tonight: 36 min (101% of 36)
OUT Reddish missed 5 since 1/25, out tonight
OUT Vincent missed 22 since 12/21, out tonight
BACK Hayes back 1/29 after 2, 24 min since (197% of 12)
NEW Russell 33 to 39 min over the last 5
LAL availability going into 2/05 · 1 day's restOUT Reddish missed 6 since 1/25, out tonight
OUT Vincent missed 23 since 12/21, out tonight
BACK Davis back 2/03 after 2, 36 min since (101% of 36)
BACK Hayes back 1/29 after 2, 21 min since (173% of 12)
LAL availability going into 2/08 · 2 days' restOUT Reddish missed 7 since 1/25, out tonight
OUT Vanderbilt missed 2 since 2/03, out tonight
OUT Vincent missed 24 since 12/21, out tonight
BACK Davis back 2/03 after 2, 37 min since (102% of 36)
BACK Hayes back 1/29 after 2, 19 min since (157% of 12)
NEW Christie 14 to 20 min over the last 5
LAL availability going into 2/09 · back-to-backOUT Reddish missed 8 since 1/25, out tonight
OUT Vanderbilt missed 3 since 2/03, out tonight
OUT Vincent missed 25 since 12/21, out tonight
BACK Davis back 2/03 after 2, 37 min since (104% of 36)
NEW Hayes 12 to 20 min over the last 5
LAL availability going into 2/13 · 3 days' restOUT Reddish missed 9 since 1/25, out tonight
OUT Vanderbilt missed 4 since 2/03, out tonight
OUT Vincent missed 26 since 12/21, out tonight
BACK Davis back 2/03 after 2, 35 min since (98% of 36)
NEW Christie 14 to 21 min over the last 4
NEW Hayes 12 to 18 min over the last 5
LAL availability going into 2/14 · back-to-backOUT Reddish missed 10 since 1/25, out tonight
OUT Vanderbilt missed 5 since 2/03, out tonight
OUT Vincent missed 27 since 12/21, out tonight
OUT Christie missed 2 since 2/09, out tonight
BACK Davis back 2/03 after 2, 34 min since (94% of 36)
LAL availability going into 2/22 · 7 days' restOUT Reddish missed 11 since 1/25, out tonight
OUT Vanderbilt missed 6 since 2/03, out tonight
OUT Vincent missed 28 since 12/21, out tonight
OUT Christie missed 3 since 2/09, returns tonight: 29 min (204% of 14)
NEW Hachimura 27 to 33 min over the last 5
DEN availability going into 1/29 · 1 day's restOUT Strawther missed 11 since 1/05, out tonight
BACK Holiday back 1/25 after 2, 12 min since (82% of 15)
DEN availability going into 1/31 · 1 day's restOUT Holiday missed 2 since 1/27, returns tonight: 11 min (78% of 15)
OUT Strawther missed 12 since 1/05, out tonight
DEN availability going into 2/02 · 1 day's restOUT Strawther missed 13 since 1/05, out tonight
BACK Holiday back 1/25 after 2, 12 min since (80% of 15)
DEN availability going into 2/04 · 1 day's restOUT Strawther missed 14 since 1/05, out tonight
BACK Holiday back 1/25 after 2, 12 min since (79% of 15)
DEN availability going into 2/08 · 3 days' restOUT Strawther missed 15 since 1/05, out tonight
BACK Holiday back 1/31 after 2, 12 min since (78% of 15)
NEW Watson 18 to 23 min over the last 5
DEN availability going into 2/09 · back-to-backOUT Strawther missed 16 since 1/05, returns tonight: 20 min (192% of 11)
BACK Holiday back 1/31 after 2, 15 min since (103% of 15)
NEW Watson 18 to 24 min over the last 5
DEN availability going into 2/12 · 2 days' restOUT Caldwell-Pope missed 2 since 2/08, returns tonight: 9 min (29% of 32)
BACK Holiday back 1/31 after 2, 20 min since (139% of 15)
BACK Strawther back 2/09 after 16, 20 min since (192% of 11)
NEW Watson 18 to 24 min over the last 5
DEN availability going into 2/14 · 1 day's restBACK Caldwell-Pope back 2/12 after 2, 9 min since (29% of 32)
BACK Strawther back 2/09 after 16, 14 min since (127% of 11)
NEW Watson 18 to 24 min over the last 5
NEW Holiday 15 to 22 min over the last 4
DEN availability going into 2/22 · 7 days' restBACK Caldwell-Pope back 2/12 after 2, 9 min since (29% of 32)
BACK Strawther back 2/09 after 16, 14 min since (127% of 11)
NEW Holiday 15 to 28 min over the last 4
I Know — the desk, before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
The Lakers come in 3-2 over their last five, scoring 118 a night and allowing 120, shooting 50 percent and 38 from three, 25 free throws a game; James at 23 and Davis at 20 a game. That is 3 straight wins. They have lost the glass by 6 a night. Without Reddish (7 straight), Vanderbilt (2 straight), Vincent (24 straight). 2 days' rest. Denver comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 111 a night and allowing 106, shooting 47 percent and 36 from three, 23 free throws a game; Jokić at 27 and Murray at 22 a game. 3 days' rest.
So: Denver wins, on the road, and the game turns on the defense, Denver allowing 106 a night to the Lakers' 120 and the glass, where Denver has been plus-3 a night and the Lakers minus-6. Call it Denver 115, the Lakers 114, the Lakers keeping it close.
1/30 @ ATL 122-138 — LAL notes
LAL lost 122-138. LAL shot 53% (48 of 90) to ATL's 52%, 12 of 33 from three, and went to the line 25 times to ATL's 18 — 14 points from the stripe to their 16. Reaves led with 28 (10 of 19, 3 of 8 from three, 5 of 7 at the line); James added 20, Hachimura 16. Q4 was theirs, 34-35, but the other 3 periods went 103-88 against them. Prince's -18 in 25 minutes was the worst on the floor.
2/01 @ BOS 114-105 — LAL notes
LAL won 114-105. LAL shot 40% (38 of 94) to BOS's 42%, 19 of 36 from three, and went to the line 26 times to BOS's 7 — 19 points from the stripe to their 7. LAL turned it over 7 times to BOS's 15. Reaves led with 32 (10 of 18, 7 of 10 from three, 5 of 7 at the line); Russell added 16, Hayes 16. The hinge was Q2, 32-21: a lead of 3 became 14. Vanderbilt was the night's best plus/minus at +17.
2/03 @ NYK 113-105 — LAL notes
LAL won 113-105. LAL shot 49% (39 of 80) to NYK's 41%, 12 of 31 from three, and went to the line 27 times to NYK's 15 — 23 points from the stripe to their 13. The glass went 38-51 against them. James led with 24 (10 of 19, 2 of 5 from three); Reaves added 22, Prince 16. The hinge was Q4, 33-19: LAL came in trailing by 6 and left it ahead by 8. Christie was the night's best plus/minus at +12.
2/05 @ CHA 124-118 — LAL notes
LAL won 124-118. LAL shot 56% (50 of 89) to CHA's 49%, 8 of 34 from three. LAL turned it over 16 times to CHA's 9, and CHA turned those into 9 steals. The glass went 48-34 for them. Russell led with 28 (10 of 21, 5 of 12 from three); James added 26, Davis 26. The hinge was Q1, 37-29: from level to 8 ahead, and the lead reached 21. Davis was the night's best plus/minus at +16.
2/08 vs DEN 106-114 — LAL notes
LAL lost 106-114. LAL shot 46% (41 of 89) to DEN's 48%, 8 of 25 from three, and went to the line 22 times to DEN's 7 — 16 points from the stripe to their 6. LAL turned it over 7 times to DEN's 12. The glass went 39-50 against them. Davis led with 32 (14 of 27, 0 of 3 from three, 4 of 6 at the line); James added 25, Reaves 15. Q3 was theirs, 30-24, the deficit cut from 10 to 4, but the other 3 periods went 90-76 against them. Hachimura's -12 in 38 minutes was the worst on the floor.
2/09 vs NOP — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
The Lakers come in 3-2 over their last five, scoring 116 a night and allowing 116, shooting 49 percent and 37 from three, 24 free throws a game; James at 24 and Davis at 23 a game. They have lost the glass by 4 a night. Without Reddish (8 straight), Vanderbilt (3 straight), Vincent (25 straight). Second night of a back-to-back. New Orleans comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 118 a night and allowing 107, shooting 51 percent and 34 from three, 17 free throws a game; Ingram at 25 and Williamson at 24 a game. That is 4 straight wins. It has won the glass by 5 a night. One day's rest.
So: New Orleans wins, on the road, and the game turns on the glass, where New Orleans has been plus-5 a night and the Lakers minus-4 and the defense, New Orleans allowing 107 a night to the Lakers' 116. Call it New Orleans 117, the Lakers 113, the Lakers keeping it close.
2/13 vs DET — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
The Lakers come in 4-1 over their last five, scoring 119 a night and allowing 113, shooting 49 percent and 39 from three, 25 free throws a game; James at 24 and Davis at 22 a game. They have lost the glass by 4 a night. Without Reddish (9 straight), Vanderbilt (4 straight), Vincent (26 straight). 3 days' rest. Detroit comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 118 a night and allowing 120, shooting 49 percent and 42 from three, 21 free throws a game; Ivey at 26 and Cunningham at 20 a game. It has won the glass by 9 a night. Without Stewart (6 straight). 2 days' rest.
So: The Lakers win, and the game turns on the glass, where Detroit has been plus-9 a night and the Lakers minus-4 and the turnovers, Detroit giving it away 14 times a game to the Lakers' 8. Call it the Lakers 121, Detroit 114.
2/14 @ UTA — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Utah comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 119 a night and allowing 122, shooting 48 percent and 36 from three, 23 free throws a game; Markkanen at 25 and Sexton at 19 a game. It has won the glass by 9 a night. One day's rest. The Lakers come in 4-1 over their last five, scoring 121 a night and allowing 114, shooting 52 percent and 36 from three, 26 free throws a game; James at 24 and Russell at 24 a game. They have lost the glass by 4 a night. Without Reddish (10 straight), Vanderbilt (5 straight), Vincent (27 straight). Second night of a back-to-back.
So: Utah wins, and the game turns on the glass, where Utah has been plus-9 a night and the Lakers minus-4 and the turnovers, Utah giving it away 15 times a game to the Lakers' 10. Call it Utah 119, the Lakers 118, the Lakers keeping it close.
2/22 @ GSW — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Golden State comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 128 a night and allowing 119, shooting 49 percent and 45 from three, 17 free throws a game; Curry at 31 and Thompson at 20 a game. It has won the glass by 6 a night. Without Paul (18 straight). 6 days' rest. The Lakers come in 4-1 over their last five, scoring 126 a night and allowing 117, shooting 53 percent and 37 from three, 25 free throws a game; Davis at 27 and James at 24 a game. That is 3 straight wins. Without Reddish (11 straight), Vanderbilt (6 straight), Vincent (28 straight). 7 days' rest.
So: Golden State wins, and the game turns on the glass, where Golden State has been plus-6 a night and the Lakers minus-3 and the arc, Golden State at 45 percent from three to the Lakers' 37. Call it Golden State 122, the Lakers 119, the Lakers keeping it close.
1/29 vs MIL 113-107 — DEN notes
DEN won 113-107. DEN shot 48% (44 of 91) to MIL's 43%, 4 of 18 from three. Murray led with 35 (13 of 22, 9 of 10 at the line); Jokić added 25, Porter Jr. 13. The hinge was Q3, 26-19: from level to 7 ahead. Jackson was the night's best plus/minus at +15.
1/31 @ OKC 100-105 — DEN notes
DEN lost 100-105. DEN shot 40% (37 of 93) to OKC's 43%, 15 of 37 from three, and got to the line 16 times to OKC's 25. Gordon led with 16 (7 of 16, 1 of 3 from three, 1 of 6 at the line); Murray added 16, Jackson 16. Q1 was theirs, 28-19, but the other 3 periods went 86-72 against them. They led by as many as 13. Porter Jr.'s -16 in 39 minutes was the worst on the floor.
2/02 vs POR 120-108 — DEN notes
DEN won 120-108. DEN shot 51% (46 of 91) to POR's 46%, 12 of 36 from three, and got to the line 17 times to POR's 30. The glass went 48-37 for them. Jokić led with 27 (11 of 16); Gordon added 18, Caldwell-Pope 16. The hinge was Q1, 33-20: from level to 13 ahead. Caldwell-Pope was the night's best plus/minus at +22.
2/04 vs POR 112-103 — DEN notes
DEN won 112-103. DEN shot 49% (42 of 86) to POR's 46%, 12 of 28 from three. DEN turned it over 8 times to POR's 13. Jokić led with 29 (12 of 20, 1 of 3 from three); Murray added 21, Watson 12. The hinge was Q2, 35-26: the deficit went from 12 to 3, and the lead reached 15. DEN trailed 60-63 at the half and won the second half 52-40. Braun was the night's best plus/minus at +18.
2/08 @ LAL 114-106 — DEN notes
DEN won 114-106. DEN shot 48% (47 of 97) to LAL's 46%, 14 of 32 from three, and got to the line 7 times to LAL's 22. DEN turned it over 12 times to LAL's 7, and LAL turned those into 12 steals. The glass went 50-39 for them. Murray led with 29 (12 of 25, 5 of 9 from three); Porter Jr. added 27, Jokić 24. The hinge was Q1, 29-23: from level to 6 ahead, and the lead reached 15. Gordon was the night's best plus/minus at +18.
2/09 @ SAC — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Sacramento comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 118 a night and allowing 124, shooting 49 percent and 36 from three, 22 free throws a game; Fox at 22 and Sabonis at 20 a game. It has lost the glass by 7 a night. One day's rest. Denver comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 112 a night and allowing 106, shooting 47 percent and 38 from three, 17 free throws a game; Jokić at 26 and Murray at 23 a game. That is 3 straight wins. It has won the glass by 5 a night. Second night of a back-to-back.
So: Sacramento wins, and the game turns on the defense, Denver allowing 106 a night to Sacramento's 124 and the glass, where Denver has been plus-5 a night and Sacramento minus-7. Call it Sacramento 116, Denver 115, Denver keeping it close.
2/12 @ MIL — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Milwaukee comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 114 a night and allowing 113, shooting 48 percent and 37 from three, 23 free throws a game; Antetokounmpo at 29 and Lillard at 23 a game. It has lost the glass by 7 a night. Without Middleton (2 straight). 2 days' rest. Denver comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 110 a night and allowing 111, shooting 47 percent and 39 from three, 17 free throws a game; Jokić at 26 and Murray at 18 a game. Without Caldwell-Pope (2 straight). 2 days' rest.
So: Milwaukee wins, and the game turns on the glass, where Denver has been plus-2 a night and Milwaukee minus-7 and the line, where Milwaukee takes 23 free throws a game to Denver's 17. Call it Milwaukee 116, Denver 113, Denver keeping it close.
2/14 vs SAC — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Denver comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 109 a night and allowing 113, shooting 46 percent and 36 from three, 18 free throws a game; Jokić at 26 and Porter Jr. at 16 a game. One day's rest. Sacramento comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 121 a night and allowing 126, shooting 50 percent and 38 from three, 18 free throws a game; Sabonis at 23 and Monk at 22 a game. Second night of a back-to-back.
So: Denver wins, and the game turns on the defense, Denver allowing 113 a night to Sacramento's 126. Call it Denver 119, Sacramento 114.
2/22 vs WAS — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Denver comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 105 a night and allowing 112, shooting 44 percent and 36 from three, 19 free throws a game; Jokić at 24 and Porter Jr. at 17 a game. That is 3 straight losses. 7 days' rest. Washington comes in 0-5 over its last five, scoring 116 a night and allowing 122, shooting 46 percent and 39 from three, 17 free throws a game; Avdija at 24 and Kuzma at 22 a game. That is 5 straight losses. 7 days' rest.
So: Denver wins, and the game turns on the defense, Denver allowing 112 a night to Washington's 122. Call it Denver 118, Washington 111.
Who is who
the initials in the Players column
DENAG A. Gordon
CB C. Braun
DJ D. Jordan
JH J. Holiday
JM J. Murray
JO Jokic
MP M. Porter Jr.
NJ N. Jokić
PW P. Watson
RJ R. Jackson
LALAD A. Davis
AR A. Reaves
CW C. Wood
JH J. Hayes
LJ L. James
MC M. Christie
RH R. Hachimura
SM S. Mays
TP T. Prince
DEN/LAL the team itself, not a player
-- the feed named nobody
What
What happened
the codes in the Events column
M2 / M3 made 2 / made 3
X2 / X3 missed 2 / missed 3
FT / X1 free throw made / missed
AST assist
OR / DR offensive / defensive rebound
STL steal
BLK block
TO turnover
FL foul
OF offensive foul — ends the possession
VIOL violation
JUMP jump ball
TM timeout
IR instant replay
HE heave at the buzzer, filed to the team
END the clock ran out, ball in hand
Where
Where a shot came from
the middle field of M3.LW.25
RM at the rim inside 4 ft
RC right corner
RW right wing
SO straight on
LW left wing
LC left corner
M3.LW.25 made 3, left wing, 25 ft
X2.RM.01 missed 2, at the rim, 1 ft
When
When it happened
the Offset column
one number per event, in the Events order:
whole seconds from the start of the
possession to that event
Events FL X3.RC.23 OR M2.RM.01
Offset 0 18 22 24
the foul opens the possession at 0s;
the putback ends it at 24s, which is
the possession's own Dur
Jamal Murray scores 29 points and Nuggets hold off Lakers in the final minutes for a 114-106 victory
LOS ANGELES -- — Jamal Murray scored 29 points, Michael Porter Jr . added 27 and the Denver Nuggets snapped the Los Angeles Lakers ' three-game winning streak with a 114-106 victory Thursday night.
Nikola Jokic had 24 points, 13 rebounds and nine assists for the defending NBA champion Nuggets, who opened a three-game road trip with their third straight win and eighth in 10 games.
Denver blew a 15-point lead in the second half, but never trailed and eventually finished with a 10-2 run in the building where the Nuggets beat LA twice to sweep the Western Conference finals last May.
“Give them credit, they had all the momentum and they were attacking us,” Denver coach Michael Malone said. “What I saw in that stretch was poise on offense and executing. To outscore that team 10-2 in the last few minutes, that means you’re defending at a high level and you’re rebounding.”
Three hours before the game, the Lakers unveiled a 19-foot-tall bronze statue of Kobe Bryant outside their downtown arena. The Lakers played Denver in their Black Mamba alternate uniforms, and the evening was filled with Bryant tributes before the crowd began chanting “Kobe! Kobe!” in the final minutes to urge on the current Lakers.
Anthony Davis scored 32 points and LeBron James had 25 for the Lakers, whose longest winning streak since the In-Season Tournament ended in their first game back from an encouraging six-game road trip. James added nine rebounds and seven assists, while Austin Reaves had 15 points and 10 assists.
“Definitely very frustrating,” said Jaxson Hayes , who had nine points and six rebounds for the Lakers. “A close loss like that, you make a good push there at the end, it’s always frustrating. … All of us know what time of year it is, and all of us know we need to lock in and get some more wins. I feel like there’s a sense of urgency from all of us.”
Several hours after the Lakers declined to make any moves at the trade deadline, they ran drastically short on guards. D’Angelo Russell sat out with left knee soreness, and Max Christie started in his place and scored seven points before spraining his right ankle shortly before halftime.
“This is our team, what we’re going to have, and once we get guys healthy, we can kind of get back into our groove,” Davis said.
Denver led by 15 midway through the third quarter, but Los Angeles eventually tied it with 6:41 to play on Davis’ alley-oop dunk from Skylar Mays .
Los Angeles tied it again on Reaves' 3-pointer with 2:18 to play after Hayes' spectacular chase-down block on Peyton Watson , but Murray hit a 3-pointer and an 11-foot floater on the Nuggets' next two possessions before Porter drained a 3-pointer with 1:05 left to seal it.
Both of these teams made no major moves at the trade deadline, but the Nuggets have more reason to feel optimistic about their championship-winning core than the up-and-down Lakers.
Russell's improved play in recent weeks was a primary factor in the Lakers' decision not to move his tradeable contract at the deadline. But the starting point guard couldn't play after undergoing an unspecified procedure on his sore left knee Wednesday.
Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka said he decided to stand pat because he didn't find a deal good enough to risk disruption of his roster's chemistry and potential. Pelinka mentioned the fact he would have been allowed to trade only one first-round pick this month, but he'll have three to move this summer in pursuit of a third superstar.
“My job is always to look for ways to upgrade our roster, but you can’t buy a house that’s not for sale,” Pelinka said. “The right move wasn’t there, and it’s a thoughtful and tricky calculus at times. ... We didn’t want to shoot a small bullet now that would only lead to very marginal improvement at the expense of making a much bigger and more impactful movement potentially in June and July.
"We tried everything we could, and the market is the market. There were very, very few sellers.”
Former Lakers swingman Kentavious Caldwell-Pope sat out for the Nuggets with right hamstring tightness. Justin Holiday had a rough night in his place, scoring two points in 22 minutes as a starter before fouling out early in the fourth quarter.