Luka Doncic has triple-double as Lakers rally for big road win over Denver

DENVER — The first time chants of “Let’s go, La-kers” rang out in Ball Arena, Denver’s rowdy home crowd booed the unwelcome slogan into silence. Minutes later when the game ended, there weren’t enough home fans left to quiet the purple and gold faithful.

The Lakers overcame a 16-point deficit in the third quarter to notch one of their most significant wins of the season, taking down the Denver Nuggets 115-107 on Tuesday. Luka Doncic recorded his fifth triple-double of the season with 38 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists while LeBron James had 19 points, nine rebounds and eight assists.

Despite losing center Deandre Ayton to a left eye injury in the second quarter, the Lakers still dominated the shorthanded Nuggets in the paint, outrebounding Denver 51-31. The Nuggets were playing without star center Nikola Jokic (knee) and backup center Jonas Valanciunas (calf).

The Lakers (26-16) slowly are returning to full health as guard Austin Reaves’ calf injury is “progressing well,” coach JJ Redick said before the game, and they hope he could play on the eight-game trip that will stretch until Feb. 3. Reaves is approaching the four-week point after aggravating his calf injury on Christmas Day.

For the first time since the injury, Reaves went on a trip with the team. He blended seamlessly into the bench group, wearing head-to-toe black next to the coaches.

On the other bench, Denver’s injured superstar was dressed in a forest green suit. Jokic, the Nuggets’ three-time most valuable player, has been sidelined because of a knee injury since Dec. 30. As significant as the Lakers’ injuries have been with the team having all 14 of its standard contract players available for only two games this season, the Nuggets’ problems could be even worse.

Three members of the Nuggets’ season-opening starting rotation were sidelined Tuesday. Starting guard Christian Braun has been out since injuring an ankle Nov. 12 and Cameron Johnson has missed 15 games because of a knee injury. Valanciunas, who has missed the last 11 games, sat next to Jokic.

Denver (29-15) still had no problem controlling the first half, finishing the second quarter on a 14-3 run to claim a 14-point lead. Jamal Murray drained a three-pointer from almost three-quarters court at the buzzer to punctuate a chaotic final 35 seconds that was preceded by Doncic’s 13th technical foul of the season and featured an 8-0 run for the Nuggets.

Murray, who finished with 28 points and 11 assists, is angling for his first All-Star appearance. If coaches select the 28-year-old guard as a reserve, it would be the first time in Jokic’s career that he had a teammate named to the All-Star team.

Doncic, who was named a starter for next month’s midseason showcase Monday, showed why he led the league in fan voting. He had nine points and four assists in the third quarter as the Lakers trimmed a 16-point deficit to two entering the fourth quarter. Doncic scored or assisted on 11 unanswered Lakers points.

After Doncic’s third-quarter domination, James tagged in and scored five consecutive points to end the quarter. He assisted on a basket by Drew Timme on the Lakers’ opening possession of the fourth quarter that tied the score 88-88.

The Lakers took the lead for good with a 16-0 run, holding the Nuggets scoreless for more than 6½ minutes. Marcus Smart scored 11 of his 15 points during the run, while Denver missed nine consecutive shots.

While Doncic will return to the All-Star stage next month at Intuit Dome, James was not named a starter for the first time in 22 years. He will have to wait for a vote from coaches or a special selection from NBA commissioner Adam Silver to earn his 22nd All-Star honor.

“Given the missed games early, wasn’t surprised,” Redick said, referring to James missing the first 14 games because of sciatica. “I believe he’ll be in the All-Star game.”