Los Angeles .- LeBron James became the fourth leading scorer in NBA history by beating Michael Jordan (32,292 points), but the Los Angeles Lakers lost again, this time by 99-115 against the Denver Nuggets, and they see more and more the option to dispute the eliminatory by the title.
James now only has ahead of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Karl Malone and Kobe Bryant (33,643 points), whom he will probably overcome next season.
The forward finished the game with 31 points, 7 rebounds and 7 assists, while Will Barton was the best of the Nuggets with 23 points. The Spaniard Juancho Hernangómez entered at the end of the duel with everything decided.
The Lakers, who suffered injury losses from Brandon Ingram, Kyle Kuzma and Lonzo Ball, have lost 10 of their last 13 games.
The Coloradons did what they wanted with the Californians from the beginning.
Will Barton scored two 3-pointers in a row while James missed his first four shots from the staff, which he managed with two 3-pointers in a row to offer a momentary feeling of equality (10-10).
However, the wake of triples chained by Barton (4/5) left the score at 17-32 after a partial 0-12 and the Nuggets scoring 73 percent of their shots, something to which the phantasmagoric local defense contributed .
The non-existent defensive transition of the Angelenos caused the whole of Mike Malone enjoyed 20 points of advantage (25-45) at the start of the second period. Opposite, a group of players who roamed the track without much effort or enthusiasm beyond witnessing the record of James.
The mark of the forward came in the absence of 5:38 for the break in a penetration culminated on the left with the assistance of Rondo. The Staples Center dedicated a great ovation to the player, accompanied by a video recognizing the feat.
That did not confuse Denver. On the contrary, it seemed to motivate the team more, which went to dressing rooms with a comfortable mattress (49-66) thanks to the energy of Paul Millsap and did not stop stepping on the accelerator. Thus, the Rockies were placed with 53-76 in the third quarter and seemed to squander the shock.
But the Lakers continued rowing with a good Moe Wagner and shortened distances (77-85) with 12 minutes to play.
The extra momentum from rookie center Johnathan Williams and the nerve of base Alex Caruso were a breath of fresh air for the purple and gold (85-87), but not enough to knock down some Nuggets who clung to a Gary Harris hyperactive with 11 goals in a row (91-100).
As a result of that intervention, the visitors passed to control with ease the rest of the duel.
Data sheet:
99 – Los Angeles Lakers (25 + 24 + 28 + 22): Rondo (4), Hart (7), Bullock (1), James (31) and McGee (16) -five start-up, Muscala (-), Wagner (11), Stephenson (3), Caldwell-Pope (-), Williams (8), Caruso (15) and Bonga (2).
115 – Denver Nuggets (43 + 23 + 19 + 30): Murray (19), Harris (19), Barton (23), Millsap (16), Jokic (12), -five start-up, Plumlee (9), Beasley (8), Thomas (4), Morris (5), Craig (-), Hernangómez (-), Vanderbilt (-) and Welsh (-).
Referees: Mauer, Williams and Smith. Without eliminated.
Incidents: Regular season game played at the Staples Center, Los Angeles, before 18,997 spectators. Full.
(USA), (EFE)
