LeBron James reached 40,000 points, but Nikola Jokic had 35 points and 10 rebounds as the Denver Nuggets made a late effort to beat the Los Angeles Lakers 124-114 on Saturday night.
Aaron Gordon made a 3-pointer with 3:49 left to put Denver back in front, and the Nuggets closed on a 16-6 run for their sixth straight victory. Michael Porter Jr. made all five of his 3s to finish with 25 points, Jamal Murray had 24 points and 11 assists and Gordon finished with 18 points.
James had 26 points and nine assists while scoring his final milestone, but the Lakers were unable to secure their third straight victory. Rui Hachimura had 23 points and Anthony Davis added 17 points and 11 rebounds as all five Los Angeles starters had at least 17 points.
James got around Porter and drove down the lane to make a layup with 10:39 left in the second quarter to becoming the first NBA player with 40,000 points while increasing his lead as the league’s career leader.
James received a standing ovation during the next timeout, while coach Darvin Ham gave him a congratulatory pat on the chest as he approached the sideline. There was a video presentation in the arena, preceded and followed by James raising the ball above his head to the delight of the fans, many of whom were wearing his Lakers, Cleveland Cavaliers, Miami Heat or St. Vincent- St. Mary High School Jersey.
James had 11 points in the historic first half, helping the Lakers take a 66-58 lead into the break. Davis, Hachimura and D’Angelo Russell each scored 13 points, with Los Angeles shooting 57.4 percent from the field (27 for 47).
Jokic was his typical prolific self, leading the Nuggets with 16 points, five rebounds and four assists at halftime. Porter made all three of his 3-point attempts, but the rest of Denver shot 2-for-11 (18.2%) from deep.
Jokic scored 13 straight points for the Nuggets in the third quarter, putting them up by four before the Lakers tied it at 89 heading into the fourth.
FOLLOWING
Nuggets: Host Phoenix on Tuesday.
Lakers: Host Oklahoma City on Monday.
