National Basketball Association
Denver 119, L.A. Lakers 107
When: 7:30 PM ET, Tuesday, October 24, 2023
Where: Ball Arena, Denver, Colorado
Officials: #34 Kevin Cutler, #60 James Williams, #52 Scott Twardoski
Attendance: 19842

Nikola Jokic had 29 points, 13 rebounds and 11 assists, Jamal Murray scored 21 points and the host Denver Nuggets beat the Los Angeles Lakers 119-107 to begin defense of their title on Tuesday night.

Michael Porter Jr. had 12 points and 12 rebounds, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope chipped in 20 points and Aaron Gordon finished with 15 for the Nuggets.

LeBron James scored 21 points, Taurean Prince contributed 18, Anthony Davis had 17 -- all in the first half -- Austin Reaves scored 14 and D'Angelo Russell added 11 for Los Angeles.

The Lakers scored the first four points of the fourth quarter, part of a 13-0 run that began at the end of the third, to cut what was once an 18-point deficit down to three at 87-84. They had chances to get closer, but Jokic hit a 3-pointer, fed Caldwell-Pope for an 18-footer and made a jumper to give Denver an 11-point lead with 7:19 left.

Los Angeles responded to make it 103-96, but Murray drained a 3-pointer, Caldwell-Pope hit another mid-range jumper and Gordon threw home a dunk to make it 110-96. Los Angeles got back within 11 but a 3-pointer from Porter and a layup by Jokic closed it out.

The Nuggets came out inspired after receiving their championship rings and watching the banner being raised to the rafters. They used a 12-2 run to take a six-point lead 4:02 through the first quarter and kept building on it.

Caldwell-Pope hit a 3-pointer to make it 27-16 and Reggie Jackson drained one from deep to give Denver a 14-point lead heading into the second quarter.

Another Jackson 3-pointer early in the second made it 40-22, but the Lakers chipped away, scoring the last six points of the period to cut the deficit to 63-54 at halftime.

Los Angeles got within five to start the second half, but the Nuggets recovered and took a 16-point lead late in the third quarter. The Lakers scored the final nine points of the quarter, and a 3-pointer from Russell made it 87-80 heading into the fourth.

--Field Level Media

Top Game Performances
 
L.A. Lakers   Denver
LeBron James 21 Scoring Nikola Jokic 29
D'Angelo Russell 7 Assists Nikola Jokic 11
Anthony Davis 8 Rebounds Nikola Jokic 13
Austin Reaves 5 Free Throws Made Kentavious Caldwell-Pope 2
Austin Reaves 2 Steals Kentavious Caldwell-Pope 3
Anthony Davis 2 Blocks Christian Braun 1
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
L.A. Lakers 107 45.6 10-29 15-20 23 44 4 5 12
Denver 119 52.7 14-34 9-12 29 42 6 9 12
Upcoming Games
  • Denver will play their next game on the road against Memphis. The Nuggets have a W/L % of 1.000 after a win and .000 after a loss.
  • L.A. Lakers will play their next game at home against Phoenix. The Lakers have a W/L % of .000 after a win and .000 after a loss.