Lakers knock off Nuggets for 9th straight home win

Luka Doncic scored 21 of his 31 points in the first quarter, Austin Reaves added 22 total and the Los Angeles Lakers turned a fast start into a 120-108 home victory over the short-handed Denver Nuggets on Wednesday.

Dorian Finney-Smith scored 14 points and Gabe Vincent and Dalton Knecht each added 12 as the Lakers earned their third straight win and ninth consecutive home victory despite playing without LeBron James (groin) for the fifth straight game and Rui Hachimura (knee) for the ninth straight.

The victory allowed the Lakers (43-25) to tie the Nuggets (44-26) for third place in the Western Conference standings. The teams split the season series with two victories each.

The Lakers' 46-point first was their highest scoring quarter of the season, while Doncic had his most points in any quarter since joining the Lakers last month. The Lakers hit nine 3-pointers in the opening 12 minutes, tying for the franchise's most ever in a period.

Aaron Gordon tallied 26 points and 11 rebounds for the Nuggets, who were playing without Nikola Jokic (ankle/elbow) and Jamal Murray (ankle) for the second consecutive game.

Jalen Pickett scored 14 points for Denver, which dropped to 3-4 since March 9. Michael Porter Jr., Peyton Watson and Russell Westbrook each scored 12 points.

The Lakers had their first double-digit lead less than three minutes into the game when Doncic made a 3-pointer for a 14-2 advantage. Doncic was 7 of 11 from the floor in the first quarter and 3 of 5 from 3-point range.

The Lakers led 69-41 following a 3-pointer from Knecht just past the midway point of the second quarter. Denver began to chip away, outscoring Los Angeles 18-4 over the final 5:05 before halftime. The Lakers led 73-59 at the break.

Los Angeles regained its momentum in the second half, taking a 94-74 lead with 4:31 remaining in the third quarter. The Lakers restored their 28-point lead with a 105-77 advantage heading into the final period.

--Field Level Media