By Christopher Dempsey
Playoff teams do what the Nuggets did to the L.A. Lakers on Monday night.
They put them away quickly and decisively.
The Nuggets used a 22-2 run in the second quarter to TKO the Lakers, cruising to a 129-101 win at the Pepsi Center and in front of a national television audience on TNT. Suddenly, the Nuggets are one of the hotter teams in the NBA with three straight wins and victories in six of the last eight games. They are playing some of their best basketball right when they need it most.
The win kept the Nuggets in front of ninth-place Portland by two games in the Western Conference playoff race.
Part of what took place on the Pepsi Center court were things that have been commonplace for over a decade. Including Monday night, the Nuggets have beaten the Lakers in 16 of the last 22 regular season games at the Pepsi Center, going back to the 2005-06 season. Including games played in Los Angeles, the Nuggets have won 20 of the last 29 regular season games against the Lakers overall.
Will Barton was the breakout scoring star of the game for the Nuggets. He heated up quickly in the first half, scoring 19 points on 6-of-8 shooting including all three of his 3-point tries. Barton’s shot-making was a big reason the Nuggets were able sustain an offense that shot 50 percent in the first half.
Barton finished with 22 points, and added six assists a block and a steal. He led a contingent of six Nuggets in double figures.
The Nuggets shot 53.6 percent as a team and held the Lakers to just 43.3 percent, continuing their run of solid defense of late. The Lakers were led by center Ivica Zubac’s career high 25 points and 11 rebounds.
The Flow: Both teams played high energy, if not completely high level, basketball at the outset. Danilo Gallinari scored seven of the Nuggets’ first 11 points. Nikola Jokic took over from there, putting in six of the team’s next eight points. And Will Barton put the exclamation point on the period by scoring eight of the Nuggets’ last 12 points. As for the quarter overall, the Lakers stayed close until the final 2:17 of the first. That was when the Nuggets went on a 12-3 run to finish things off and take a 35-23 lead going into the second quarter.
Los Angeles turned up the defense to start the second and outscored the Nuggets 8-4 right away, which prompted a timeout out of coach Michael Malone. Whatever the Lakers were doing was short-lived. The Nuggets stormed out of the timeout, going on a 22-2 run to take a 28-point lead. That was effectively the knockout blow. In the midst of that run, Lakers coach Luke Walton picked up a technical foul, then replaced four of the five players on the court. The replacements weren’t much better and the Nuggets went into the half with a 67-43 lead.
Nothing changed in the third quarter. The Nuggets sprinted out of the gate on a 12-4 run, the lead grew to 32 points and the game was over. Garbage time started early as the Nuggets and Lakers played out the string from then on out.
Deciding run: Without a doubt, the Nuggets’ 22-2 run in the second quarter put this one in the win column. Prior to it, the Lakers were making some inroads, cutting into their deficit. But after that, the game was pretty much done.
What it means: Another win, another day down with a two-game lead for the eighth spot for the Nuggets. They are winning games at home again, which is a big deal given their road-heavy season end.
Nuggets standouts: Will Barton had 22 points, the most he’s scored in a game in a month. Danilo Gallinari continued his hot streak with 18 points, and Nikola Jokic had 18 points and nine rebounds. Jamal Murray scored 16 of his 22 points in the fourth quarter.
Stat of the game: 25: The Nuggets had 25 fast break points in the game.
Next: The Nuggets get two days off before returning to the court against the Clippers on Thursday at 7 p.m. at the Pepsi Center.