Two Lineups, One Final Score: How Denver Beat the Lakers
The starters built the lead against the Lakers; the reserves closed it, and that handoff says more than the final score.
Denver beat the Lakers 121-106 in a preseason game that was never really in doubt, leading by as many as 17 points and trailing by no more than two. Jamal Murray, Nikola Jokic and Christian Braun carried the first three quarters before a reserve lineup of Alpha Diallo, Bryce Hopkins, DeMar DeRozan, Marvin Bagley III and Tyus Jones finished it with a 12-0 run.
The Starters Did the Heavy Lifting
Jamal Murray set the tone early, scoring 21 points on 8-for-15 shooting and setting up six baskets for others. Nikola Jokic matched him for efficiency, going 7-for-8 from the field and 3-for-4 from three for 17 points, with eight assists running through the middle. Christian Braun was the plus-minus story of the night: 16 points on 5-for-10 shooting, two steals, zero turnovers, and a plus-18 mark in 28 minutes that topped everyone on the floor.
Jokic's Six Turnovers Were the One Smudge
The only blemish on an efficient night belonged to Jokic, who turned the ball over six times against his eight assists — a rare mismatch for a passer this precise. Denver carried a wire-to-wire lead, growing it to 17 points in the first half, but the Lakers answered with two separate 8-0 runs, one in the second quarter and one in the third, each time cutting the margin before Denver found its own response.
Then the Reserves Took Over
Denver's reserves decided the finish. With Alpha Diallo, Bryce Hopkins, DeMar DeRozan, Marvin Bagley III and Tyus Jones on the floor for the final five minutes, the Nuggets closed the game on a 12-0 run, capped by a Bagley tip-in with 28 seconds left. Bagley finished with 13 points on 6-for-10 shooting and eight rebounds in 17 minutes, plus-6. DeRozan's own line — 14 points, five assists, six makes on nine attempts — carried a team-worst minus-5, proof a strong box score doesn't always match the score on the floor.
What a Preseason Finish Signals Six Days Out
This was preseason, so the result changes nothing in a standings column that doesn't exist yet. What it shows, six days before the regular-season opener at Oklahoma City on Oct. 22, is which reserves close games: Diallo, Hopkins, Bagley and Tyus Jones all finished as part of the group that sealed it, alongside DeRozan. That combination, more than the final score, is what David Adelman carries into next week.
Who led the Nuggets in their preseason win over the Lakers?
Jamal Murray led with 21 points on 8-for-15 shooting, and Nikola Jokic added 17 points with eight assists.
When do the Nuggets play next?
Denver opens the regular season Oct. 22 at the Thunder, six days after this preseason win over the Lakers.
