Lakers dunk Nuggets in second-half win.
LOS ANGELES — The Lakers responded to Tuesday’s loss to the Celtics with a 126-108 victory over the Nuggets, outscoring Denver 62-43 in the second half to improve their season record to 12-16.
“Our guys showed a lot of character, a lot of competitive spirit tonight. We were able to execute at the end of the stretch on both sides of the ball,” said head coach Darvin Ham on the team's win.
In the first half, Anthony Davis appeared to have tweaked his ankle mid-air against Nuggets' Nikola Jokic. Davis continued to play the rest of the first half but was ruled out for the rest of the game at the start of the second half.
Darvin Ham spoke to the media about Davis’ injury, saying he would get a further evaluation of his ankle on Saturday.
The loss of Anthony Davis in the second half created a challenge for the rest of the Lakers' rotation, with bench players Austin Reaves, Thomas Bryant, and even rookie Max Christie stepping up in their roles.
Thomas Bryant surprised all of Lakers Nation with a next-man-up mindset in Friday’s win, filling in for Anthony Davis in the second half, scoring 21 points on 81% (9-for-11) shooting.
“My mindset was just coming out here and playing aggressive and just giving the team that life that we need,” said Bryant after Friday’s win with Lakers reporter Mike Trudell.
Rookie Max Christie also had a solid game in Friday's win, hitting 2-of-3 three-pointers in crunch time in the fourth quarter while adding 3 rebounds and 1 block in 15 minutes.
Russell Westbrook had some touching words about Thomas Bryant and Max Christie’s performances, saying: “I live for these moments. That’s why I play basketball—to see others do well.”
Westbrook finished with his second triple-double of the season, ending the win with a stat line of 15 points, 12 assists, and 11 rebounds.
LeBron James finished first on the team with a performance the Lakers needed, scoring 30 points in 35 minutes on 65% (13-for-20) shooting, notching 9 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 steals in his outing.
Austin Reaves dialed in from the Lakers bench in Friday’s win, scoring 16 points on 55% (5-for-9) total shooting from the field, adding 4 rebounds, 1 steal, and 1 block in 29 minutes.
“He puts the work in every single day,” said Reaves of Thomas Bryant’s work ethic.
The Lakers will play at home this Sunday against the 11–18 Washington Wizards on Spectrum SportsNet and ESPN.
