03/03/2024
03/03/2024
LOS ANGELES, March 3, (AP): LeBron James reached 40,000 points, but Nikola Jokic had 35 points and 10 rebounds and the Denver Nuggets made a late push to beat the Los Angeles Lakers 124-114.
Aaron Gordon hit a 3-pointer with 3:49 remaining to put Denver back in front, and the Nuggets closed on a 19-6 run for their sixth straight win. Michael Porter Jr. made all 10 of his shots to finish with 25 points, Jamal Murray had 24 points and 11 assists, and Gordon ended up with 18 points.
"I don’t think it matters who we’re playing and what night it is, we're coming to win, and we're taking care of business the way we're supposed to," said Justin Holiday, who tied it at 108 with 4:29 remaining.
James had 26 points and nine assists while checking off his latest milestone, but the Lakers couldn’t get their third straight win. Rui Hachimura had 23 points, and Anthony Davis added 17 points and 11 rebounds as all five Los Angeles starters had at least 17 points.
James spun around Porter and drove the lane to hit a layup with 10:39 left in the second quarter to reach 40,000 points as he tries to put the career scoring record out of reach.
"Being the first player to do something, it’s pretty cool in this league, just knowing the history, the greats that have come through the league and then you see some of the greats on the floor tonight, it was great to compete,” James said. "But for me, the main thing, as always, is to win, and I hated that it had to happen in a defeat.”