The Los Angeles Lakers rolled into the All-Star break by making a statement and earning a difficult victory at altitude on Wednesday night against the No. 2-seeded Denver Nuggets, 120-116, in overtime. LeBron James had a triple-double with 32 points, 14 assists and 12 rebounds in 42 minutes, while Anthony Davis had a dominant night as well, playing the same amount of minutes while scoring 33 points and 10 rebounds. Davis also hit a couple of important 3-pointers in the overtime period to help the Lakers escape the Mile High City with a victory over a team they will likely see later in the playoffs.
Jamal Murray had 32 points and 10 assists for the Nuggets while Nikola Jokic had 22 points, 11 rebounds, and six assists, but the Lakers had far more help from their supporting cast. Dwight Howard put forth a workman-like 30 minutes, with a lot of it coming on Jokic down the stretch, helping keep Davis fresh for the scoring load he needed to absorb tonight, scoring 14 points and 11 rebounds. Meanwhile, Alex Caruso, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Avery Bradley were each instrumental in the backcourt.
The Lakers are now 41-12 heading into the All-Star break with a four-game lead over the Nuggets for the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference.
