Lakers head to Denver with chance to leap past Nuggets

The Los Angeles Lakers enter Thursday sixth in the Western Conference playoff race. They're looking to end the day in an even better spot. All that is standing in the way is a trip to Denver to face the Nuggets.

Los Angeles is a half-game behind Denver in the standings and just 1 1/2 games out of the third seed with five-plus weeks left in the regular season. The Lakers have won three in a row and face a Nuggets team still missing key players.

Denver forward Aaron Gordon has not played since Jan. 23 due to a hamstring strain, the same injury that has kept guard Peyton Watson out of the lineup for a month. Neither will be available Thursday night, but there is a chance Gordon could return Friday night against the New York Knicks.

Nuggets head coach David Adelman has used multiple lineups to navigate the absences, and he got another asset when the team signed forward David Roddy to a two-way contract on Wednesday. Roddy was drafted in the first round by Philadelphia in 2022 and has bounced around the league.

He provides the Nuggets with additional wing depth with Watson, Gordon and forward Spencer Jones dealing with injuries. Denver has struggled defensively at times without Gordon and Watson, and their return will bolster that side of the ball.

"They're very valuable players for us," Denver center Jonas Valanciunas told reporters after practice Wednesday. "I think we're all waiting for them to come back and see where we can go."

Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray have helped carry the team through the recent tough stretch. For the season, Jokic is averaging 28.7 points, 12.6 rebounds and 10.3 assists; his rebounding and assists lead the NBA.

Murray is averaging a career-best 25.7 points and is coming off a 45-point performance in a win at Utah on Monday night.

Los Angeles rallied in the fourth quarter to beat New Orleans 110-101 on Tuesday night and will try to extend its winning streak to four Thursday night. The Lakers are led by Luka Doncic, who is averaging an NBA-best 32.4 points a game, and LeBron James (21.6).

They won the first meeting against the Nuggets, which Jokic missed while recovering from a knee injury. A win Thursday night will clinch the season series for Los Angeles, which hosts the last meeting between the teams on March 14.

The Lakers won the first game 115-107 on Jan. 20 despite not having Austin Reaves in the lineup. He was out with a left calf strain that cost him 19 games. Reaves, who is second on Los Angeles in scoring at 23.8 points a game, was averaging 27.3 points a game before the injury.

Both teams have tough schedules to finish the season, but Lakers guard Marcus Smart said the focus is on the present.

"We don't have the luxury to look ahead," Smart said. "I think if we can stay that course and just focus (on) one game at a time, (we can) give ourselves a chance to do some things and catch a good rhythm."

--Field Level Media