Game ID: 22400270
Denver Nuggets @ Los Angeles Lakers
Saturday, November 23, 2024 at 10:30 PM ET
Crypto.com Arena, Los Angeles, CA
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Final
LAL 27 36 15 24 102DEN 31 26 37 33 127
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 11/15 · 1 day's restOUT Vanderbilt missed 5 since 11/04, out tonight
NEW Reddish 18 to 24 min over the last 5
LAL availability going into 11/16 · back-to-backOUT Hayes missed 2 since 11/13, out tonight
OUT Vanderbilt missed 6 since 11/04, out tonight
NEW Reddish 18 to 25 min over the last 5
LAL availability going into 11/19 · 2 days' restOUT Hachimura missed 2 since 11/15, out tonight
OUT Hayes missed 3 since 11/13, out tonight
OUT Vanderbilt missed 7 since 11/04, out tonight
NEW Knecht 19 to 25 min over the last 5
NEW Reddish 18 to 24 min over the last 4
LAL availability going into 11/21 · 1 day's restOUT Hachimura missed 3 since 11/15, out tonight
OUT Hayes missed 4 since 11/13, out tonight
OUT Vanderbilt missed 8 since 11/04, out tonight
NEW Knecht 19 to 30 min over the last 5
NEW Reddish 18 to 24 min over the last 4
LAL availability going into 11/23 · 1 day's restOUT Hachimura missed 4 since 11/15, returns tonight: 22 min (70% of 32)
OUT Hayes missed 5 since 11/13, out tonight
OUT Vanderbilt missed 9 since 11/04, out tonight
NEW Knecht 19 to 34 min over the last 5
LAL availability going into 11/26 · 2 days' restOUT Hayes missed 6 since 11/13, returns tonight: 17 min (90% of 19)
OUT Vanderbilt missed 10 since 11/04, out tonight
BACK Hachimura back 11/23 after 4, 22 min since (70% of 32)
NEW Knecht 19 to 34 min over the last 5
LAL availability going into 11/27 · back-to-backOUT Vanderbilt missed 11 since 11/04, out tonight
BACK Hachimura back 11/23 after 4, 23 min since (71% of 32)
BACK Hayes back 11/26 after 6, 17 min since (90% of 19)
NEW Knecht 19 to 32 min over the last 5
LAL availability going into 11/29 · 1 day's restOUT Vanderbilt missed 12 since 11/04, out tonight
BACK Hachimura back 11/23 after 4, 24 min since (74% of 32)
BACK Hayes back 11/26 after 6, 17 min since (90% of 19)
NEW Knecht 19 to 31 min over the last 5
LAL availability going into 12/01 · 1 day's restOUT Hayes missed 2 since 11/27, out tonight
OUT Vanderbilt missed 13 since 11/04, out tonight
BACK Hachimura back 11/23 after 4, 25 min since (79% of 32)
NEW Knecht 19 to 30 min over the last 5
DEN availability going into 11/15 · 4 days' restOUT Gordon missed 3 since 11/06, out tonight
OUT Šarić missed 5 since 11/02, returns tonight: 34 min (257% of 13)
OUT Pickett missed 4 since 11/04, out tonight
OUT Jordan missed 3 since 11/06, out tonight
BACK Murray back 11/08 after 3, 36 min since (99% of 37)
BACK Nnaji back 11/02 after 4, 8 min since (83% of 10)
NEW Watson 23 to 31 min over the last 5
DEN availability going into 11/17 · 1 day's restOUT Gordon missed 4 since 11/06, out tonight
OUT Pickett missed 5 since 11/04, out tonight
OUT Jordan missed 4 since 11/06, returns tonight: 14 min (124% of 12)
BACK Murray back 11/08 after 3, 39 min since (104% of 37)
BACK Šarić back 11/15 after 5, 34 min since (257% of 13)
NEW Watson 23 to 33 min over the last 5
DEN availability going into 11/19 · 1 day's restOUT Jokić missed 2 since 11/15, out tonight
OUT Gordon missed 5 since 11/06, out tonight
OUT Pickett missed 6 since 11/04, out tonight
BACK Murray back 11/08 after 3, 38 min since (103% of 37)
BACK Šarić back 11/15 after 5, 33 min since (252% of 13)
BACK Jordan back 11/17 after 4, 14 min since (124% of 12)
NEW Watson 23 to 33 min over the last 5
DEN availability going into 11/22 · 2 days' restOUT Jokić missed 3 since 11/15, returns tonight: 40 min (106% of 37)
OUT Gordon missed 6 since 11/06, out tonight
OUT Pickett missed 7 since 11/04, out tonight
BACK Murray back 11/08 after 3, 38 min since (102% of 37)
BACK Šarić back 11/15 after 5, 28 min since (215% of 13)
BACK Jordan back 11/17 after 4, 11 min since (96% of 12)
NEW Watson 23 to 31 min over the last 5
DEN availability going into 11/23 · back-to-backOUT Gordon missed 7 since 11/06, out tonight
OUT Pickett missed 8 since 11/04, out tonight
BACK Jokić back 11/22 after 3, 40 min since (106% of 37)
BACK Šarić back 11/15 after 5, 22 min since (168% of 13)
BACK Jordan back 11/17 after 4, 9 min since (78% of 12)
NEW Watson 23 to 32 min over the last 5
DEN availability going into 11/25 · 1 day's restOUT Gordon missed 8 since 11/06, out tonight
OUT Pickett missed 9 since 11/04, out tonight
BACK Jokić back 11/22 after 3, 38 min since (102% of 37)
BACK Šarić back 11/15 after 5, 18 min since (141% of 13)
BACK Jordan back 11/17 after 4, 8 min since (68% of 12)
NEW Watson 23 to 31 min over the last 5
DEN availability going into 11/27 · 1 day's restOUT Gordon missed 9 since 11/06, out tonight
OUT Pickett missed 10 since 11/04, out tonight
BACK Jokić back 11/22 after 3, 36 min since (96% of 37)
BACK Jordan back 11/17 after 4, 9 min since (79% of 12)
NEW Watson 23 to 30 min over the last 5
DEN availability going into 12/01 · 3 days' restOUT Gordon missed 10 since 11/06, returns tonight: 24 min (79% of 30)
OUT Šarić missed 2 since 11/25, out tonight
OUT Pickett missed 11 since 11/04, out tonight
BACK Jokić back 11/22 after 3, 35 min since (95% of 37)
NEW Watson 23 to 30 min over the last 5
DEN availability going into 12/03 · 1 day's restOUT Šarić missed 3 since 11/25, out tonight
OUT Pickett missed 12 since 11/04, out tonight
BACK Jokić back 11/22 after 3, 36 min since (97% of 37)
BACK Gordon back 12/01 after 10, 24 min since (79% of 30)
NEW Watson 23 to 31 min over the last 5
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 115, shooting 50 percent and 42 from three, 27 free throws a game; Davis at 31 and James at 26 a game. They have lost the glass by 5 a night. Without Hachimura (4 straight), Hayes (5 straight), Vanderbilt (9 straight). One day's rest. Denver comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 110 a night and allowing 112, shooting 46 percent and 38 from three, 20 free throws a game; Porter Jr. at 18 and Murray at 18 a game. It has lost the glass by 5 a night. Without Gordon (7 straight). Second night of a back-to-back.
So: The Lakers win, and the game turns on the line, where the Lakers take 27 free throws a game to Denver's 20 and the arc, the Lakers at 42 percent from three to Denver's 38. Call it the Lakers 118, Denver 112.
11/15 @ SAS 120-115 — LAL notes
LAL won 120-115. LAL shot 50% (44 of 88) to SAS's 49%, 14 of 31 from three, and went to the line 23 times to SAS's 16 — 18 points from the stripe to their 12. Davis led with 40 (14 of 26, 2 of 4 from three, 10 of 12 at the line); Reaves added 19, James 15. The hinge was Q2, 37-30: a lead of 1 became 8. Christie was the night's best plus/minus at +23.
11/16 @ NOP 104-99 — LAL notes
LAL won 104-99. LAL shot 44% (39 of 89) to NOP's 42%, 12 of 40 from three. LAL turned it over 11 times to NOP's 17. Davis led with 31 (12 of 20, 2 of 4 from three, 5 of 7 at the line); Knecht added 27, James 21. The hinge was Q3, 29-15: LAL came in trailing by 10 and left it ahead by 4. LAL trailed 46-56 at the half and won the second half 58-43. Knecht was the night's best plus/minus at +11.
11/19 vs UTA 124-118 — LAL notes
LAL won 124-118. LAL shot 55% (42 of 76) to UTA's 50%, 14 of 31 from three, and went to the line 36 times to UTA's 19 — 26 points from the stripe to their 16. Knecht led with 37 (12 of 16, 9 of 12 from three); James added 26, Davis 26. The hinge was Q1, 34-22: from level to 12 ahead, and the lead reached 25. Knecht was the night's best plus/minus at +18.
11/21 vs ORL 118-119 — LAL notes
LAL lost 118-119. LAL shot 51% (44 of 87) to ORL's 47%, 13 of 31 from three. LAL turned it over 10 times to ORL's 16. The glass went 36-48 against them. Davis led with 39 (14 of 22, 10 of 13 at the line); James added 31, Knecht 17. Q2 was theirs, 29-24, but the other 3 periods went 95-89 against them. They led by as many as 10.
11/23 vs DEN 102-127 — LAL notes
LAL lost 102-127. LAL shot 44% (39 of 88) to DEN's 61%, 13 of 36 from three. The glass went 32-48 against them. Reaves led with 19 (7 of 13, 3 of 7 from three); James added 18, Davis 14. Q2 was theirs, 36-26, turning a 4-point deficit into a 6-point lead, but the other 3 periods went 101-66 against them. They led by as many as 10. Davis's -26 in 35 minutes was the worst on the floor.
11/26 @ PHX — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Phoenix comes in 0-5 over its last five, scoring 105 a night and allowing 119, shooting 43 percent and 33 from three, 25 free throws a game; Booker at 25 and Allen at 14 a game. That is 5 straight losses. Without Durant (7 straight), Beal (5 straight). 5 days' rest. The Lakers come in 3-2 over their last five, scoring 114 a night and allowing 116, shooting 49 percent and 39 from three, 23 free throws a game; Davis at 30 and James at 22 a game. They have lost the glass by 8 a night. Without Hayes (6 straight), Vanderbilt (10 straight). 2 days' rest.
So: Phoenix wins, and the game turns on the glass, where Phoenix has been plus-0 a night and the Lakers minus-8 and the arc, the Lakers at 39 percent from three to Phoenix's 33. Call it Phoenix 115, the Lakers 114, the Lakers keeping it close.
11/27 @ SAS — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
San Antonio comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 112 a night and allowing 108, shooting 44 percent and 33 from three, 28 free throws a game; Castle at 16 and Barnes at 16 a game. That is 4 straight wins. Without Vassell (5 straight), Sochan (11 straight). Second night of a back-to-back. The Lakers come in 2-3 over their last five, scoring 110 a night and allowing 118, shooting 47 percent and 35 from three, 24 free throws a game; Davis at 27 and James at 23 a game. That is 3 straight losses. They have lost the glass by 9 a night. Without Vanderbilt (11 straight). Second night of a back-to-back.
So: San Antonio wins, and the game turns on the glass, where San Antonio has been minus-2 a night and the Lakers minus-9 and the defense, San Antonio allowing 108 a night to the Lakers' 118. Call it San Antonio 116, the Lakers 109.
11/29 vs OKC — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
The Lakers come in 2-3 over their last five, scoring 113 a night and allowing 118, shooting 49 percent and 37 from three, 22 free throws a game; Davis at 25 and James at 22 a game. They have lost the glass by 6 a night. Without Vanderbilt (12 straight). One day's rest. OKC comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 113 a night and allowing 108, shooting 47 percent and 33 from three, 21 free throws a game; Gilgeous-Alexander at 34 and Jal. Williams at 25 a game. That is 3 straight wins. It has lost the glass by 4 a night. Without Holmgren (8 straight), Caruso (2 straight). One day's rest.
So: OKC wins, on the road, and the game turns on the defense, OKC allowing 108 a night to the Lakers' 118. Call it OKC 115, the Lakers 111, the Lakers keeping it close.
12/01 @ UTA — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Utah comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 110 a night and allowing 118, shooting 44 percent and 36 from three, 21 free throws a game; Markkanen at 24 and Sexton at 20 a game. That is 3 straight losses. It has won the glass by 5 a night. Without Clarkson (3 straight), Hendricks (16 straight), Williams (3 straight). Second night of a back-to-back. The Lakers come in 1-4 over their last five, scoring 106 a night and allowing 115, shooting 48 percent and 34 from three, 19 free throws a game; Davis at 22 and James at 19 a game. They have lost the glass by 5 a night. Without Hayes (2 straight), Vanderbilt (13 straight). One day's rest.
So: The Lakers win, on the road, and the game turns on the glass, where Utah has been plus-5 a night and the Lakers minus-5 and the turnovers, Utah giving it away 17 times a game to the Lakers' 13. Call it the Lakers 114, Utah 113, Utah keeping it close.
11/15 @ NOP 94-101 — DEN notes
DEN lost 94-101. DEN shot 43% (37 of 87) to NOP's 43%, 10 of 37 from three, and got to the line 11 times to NOP's 18. DEN turned it over 7 times to NOP's 14. The glass went 38-56 against them. Porter Jr. led with 24 (10 of 18, 4 of 7 from three); Watson added 18, Murray 16. Q2 was theirs, 32-27, the deficit cut from 10 to 5, but the other 3 periods went 74-62 against them. Braun's -11 in 37 minutes was the worst on the floor.
11/17 @ MEM 90-105 — DEN notes
DEN lost 90-105. DEN shot 42% (35 of 84) to MEM's 45%, 10 of 31 from three. Strawther led with 19 (6 of 13, 4 of 7 from three); Murray added 13, Braun 13. Q4 was theirs, 26-21, the deficit cut from 20 to 15, but the other 3 periods went 84-64 against them. Porter Jr.'s -15 in 27 minutes was the worst on the floor.
11/19 @ MEM 122-110 — DEN notes
DEN won 122-110. DEN shot 48% (48 of 100) to MEM's 40%, 12 of 36 from three, and got to the line 22 times to MEM's 31. Murray led with 27 (10 of 20, 5 of 10 from three); Porter Jr. added 24, Braun 19. The hinge was Q1, 31-24: from level to 7 ahead, and the lead reached 25. Braun was the night's best plus/minus at +22.
11/22 vs DAL 120-123 — DEN notes
DEN lost 120-123. DEN shot 48% (43 of 90) to DAL's 51%, 15 of 29 from three. Jokić led with 33 (13 of 22, 5 of 7 at the line); Porter Jr. added 17, Braun 17. Q3 was theirs, 36-22, the deficit cut from 20 to 6, but the other 3 periods went 101-84 against them.
11/23 @ LAL 127-102 — DEN notes
DEN won 127-102. DEN shot 61% (50 of 82) to LAL's 44%, 16 of 32 from three. The glass went 48-32 for them. Jokić led with 34 (12 of 20, 3 of 7 from three, 7 of 8 at the line); Porter Jr. added 24, Braun 16. The hinge was Q3, 37-15: DEN came in trailing by 6 and left it ahead by 16, and the lead reached 29. DEN trailed 57-63 at the half and won the second half 70-39. Jokić was the night's best plus/minus at +39.
11/25 vs NYK — 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 111 a night and allowing 108, shooting 48 percent and 38 from three, 19 free throws a game; Porter Jr. at 20 and Murray at 17 a game. Without Gordon (8 straight). One day's rest. New York comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 123 a night and allowing 115, shooting 51 percent and 39 from three, 19 free throws a game; Brunson at 27 and Towns at 25 a game. Without McBride (5 straight). One day's rest.
So: Denver wins, and the game turns on the glass, where New York has been plus-3 a night and Denver minus-2 and the turnovers, Denver giving it away 14 times a game to New York's 10. Call it Denver 116, New York 115, New York keeping it close.
11/27 @ UTA — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Utah comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 115 a night and allowing 120, shooting 48 percent and 36 from three, 20 free throws a game; Markkanen at 24 and Sexton at 19 a game. It has won the glass by 4 a night. Without Hendricks (14 straight), Filipowski (2 straight), Mykhailiuk (5 straight). Second night of a back-to-back. Denver comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 115 a night and allowing 117, shooting 48 percent and 40 from three, 22 free throws a game; Jokić at 30 and Porter Jr. at 19 a game. Without Gordon (9 straight). One day's rest.
So: Denver wins, on the road, and the game turns on the glass, where Utah has been plus-4 a night and Denver minus-1. Call it Denver 118, Utah 115, Utah keeping it close.
12/01 @ LAC — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
The Clippers come in 3-2 over their last five, scoring 107 a night and allowing 100, shooting 47 percent and 31 from three, 18 free throws a game; Harden at 25 and Zubac at 17 a game. Without Powell (6 straight). One day's rest. Denver comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 122 a night and allowing 117, shooting 51 percent and 40 from three, 24 free throws a game; Jokić at 30 and Porter Jr. at 20 a game. Without Gordon (10 straight). 3 days' rest.
So: The Clippers win, and the game turns on the defense, the Clippers allowing 100 a night to Denver's 117 and the arc, Denver at 40 percent from three to the Clippers' 31. Call it the Clippers 113, Denver 111, Denver keeping it close.
12/03 vs GSW — 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 122 a night and allowing 120, shooting 53 percent and 42 from three, 23 free throws a game; Jokić at 29 and Porter Jr. at 19 a game. One day's rest. Golden State comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 106 a night and allowing 112, shooting 42 percent and 35 from three, 20 free throws a game; Curry at 21 and Wiggins at 20 a game. That is 4 straight losses. Without Post (7 straight). 2 days' rest.
So: Denver wins, and the game turns on the arc, Denver at 42 percent from three to Golden State's 35 and the defense, Golden State allowing 112 a night to Denver's 120. Call it Denver 117, Golden State 113, Golden State keeping it close.
Who is who
the initials in the Players column
DENCB C. Braun
DJ D. Jordan
DŠ D. Šarić
HT H. Tyson
JM J. Murray
JS J. Strawther
MP M. Porter Jr.
NJ N. Jokić
PH P. Hall
PW P. Watson
RW R. Westbrook
TA T. Alexander
ZN Z. Nnaji
LALAD A. Davis
AR A. Reaves
AT A. Traoré
CK C. Koloko
CR C. Reddish
DK D. Knecht
DR D. Russell
GV G. Vincent
LJ L. James
MC M. Christie
RH R. Hachimura
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
Jokic score 34, Porter adds 24 as Nuggets use strong second half to beat Lakers 127-102
LOS ANGELES -- — Nikola Jokic scored 34 points and Michael Porter Jr . added 24 as the Denver Nuggets used a strong second half to beat the Los Angeles Lakers 127-102 on Saturday night.
Russell Westbrook had 14 points, 11 assists and seven rebounds for Denver against his former team.
Austin Reaves scored 19 points and LeBron James added 18 for the Lakers, who lost consecutive home games after starting the season 7-0 at home. Rui Hachimura , back in the starting lineup after missed the previous five games with a left ankle sprain, scored 10 points in 22 minutes.
It was the teams' first meeting since the Nuggets beat the Lakers in the first round of the playoffs earlier this year. Denver also swept them in the Western Conference final the previous year.
Denver trailed by six points at halftime but outscored Los Angeles 37-15 in the third quarter and 70-39 for the second half while dominating inside and outside.
Takeaways Lakers: The Lakers led 63-57 at halftime and let the game get away from them in a lackluster third quarter. It shows they still have much work to do to get out from Denver’s control.
Nuggets: Even in playing on the second of a back-to-back and traveling, Denver still had the legs for long-range shots. Denver was 16 for 32 on 3-pointers.
Key moment Westbrook had a putback dunk at the end of the third quarter to put the finishing touches on an authoritative quarter and extend the lead to 94-77. Westbrook then twirled his arms around emphatically in celebration as he ran back down the floor.
Key stat The Nuggets outscored the Lakers 20-4 in the paint in the third quarter.Jokic had nine points in the pivotal third in which Denver scored 37 points.
Up Next Nuggets host the New York Knicks on Monday, and Lakers visit Phoenix to open a road back-to-back.