Jamal Murray Leads Nuggets to Victory over Lakers

DENVER, CO - DECEMBER 2: Jamal Murray
DENVER, CO - DECEMBER 2: Jamal Murray

The Nuggets have continued their incredible home record after taking a nice win over the Lakers tonight in the Mile High City.

Nuggets vs. Lakers

In a game without three of Denver’s starters, Nuggets fans were not sure what to expect in this tonight but they were pleasantly surprised with the outcome. Denver led through the first quarter, 34-29. It was in the second quarter when the Lakers took control and by halftime, the Nuggets trailed 59-55. Denver began to gain some momentum through the third but they still trailed 80-78. The Nuggets fortunately exploded in the final quarter where they outscored LA 37-20 to end the game 115-100.

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Jamal Murray led Denver with 28 points, 4 rebounds, and 4 assists in his 33 minutes. the second leading Nugget was Will Barton with 16 points (13 of them came in the final 7:44 of the game), 6 rebounds, and 2 assists. Mason Plumlee, who stepped into the starting center role, had 12 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists, and a +/- of +28.

Brandon Ingram led the Lakers with 20 points and 4 rebounds. Brook Lopez and Julius Randle had 15 points a piece. Lopez also had 5 rebounds and 3 assists while Randle had 6 rebounds and 3 assists.

Quick Stats

Denver shot 46% from the field, 38.7% from beyond the arc, and 82.1% from the free throw line. The Nuggets also had 39 rebounds, 26 assists, and 8 steals. The Lakers shot 44.2% from the field, 30% from behind the three-point line, and 71.4% from the charity stripe. The Lakers also had 52 rebounds, 21 assists, and 5 steals.

Denver had 12 turnovers which unfortunately gave the Lakers 28 points. The Nuggets were able to convert LA’s 21 turnovers into 21 points. While turnovers have continued to be a big issue for the Nuggets, the fact that they only had 12 to the Lakers 21 turnovers is a good sign for this team.

The Nuggets are currently sitting at the top of the Northwestern Division with 13 wins and 9 losses in their corner. Minnesota and Portland are tied for second in the division with 13 wins and 10 losses respectively.

Denver (3-7 on the road) will visit the Dallas Mavericks (4-10 at home) on Monday night.