Category: Sports News

EDMONTON, Alberta (AP) — Arseny Gritsyuk and Cody Glass each had a goal and an assist and the New Jersey Devils held on to beat the Edmonton Oilers 2-1 on Tuesday night.

The Devils, who improved to 17-0-0 when leading after two periods, have won four of their last five outings, including a 2-1 overtime victory on Monday against the host Calgary Flames.

Matthew Savoie scored for the Oilers, who had a two-game winning streak halted — the ninth time this season they have failed to extend a winning streak to three games.

Jake Allen survived a barrage in the third and recorded 21 saves to earn the win in net for New Jersey, while Tristan Jarry made 15 stops in his Oilers’ home debut.

Defenseman Dougie Hamilton, who was a healthy scratch against the Winnipeg Jets on Jan. 10, picked up an assist to extend his points streak to six games, during which he has collected seven points.

The Oilers' Curtis Lazar skated in his 600th career NHL game against his former team, where he spent portions of three seasons from 2022-25. He has played for seven NHL squads and has 50 goals and 80 assists.

The Devils regained the lead a minute-and-a-half after Edmonton tied the game 1-1 as they caught the Oilers on a bad change and Glass beat Jarry cleanly to the stick side for his 11th goal of the season.

Connor McDavid came into the game with at least one point in all 17 of his career games against the Devils (7 goals, 24 assists), which stood as the second-longest active point streak by a player against a single opponent. However, he was held pointless on the night and the streak came to an end.

Devils: At Vancouver on Friday night.

Oilers: Host Pittsburgh on Thursday night.

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AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl

SAN FRANCISCO — Golden State Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga finally was called off the bench and into action during a 145-127 loss to the Toronto Raptors at Chase Center on Tuesday night.

On the second night of a back-to-back — with the Warriors now having to go forward without Jimmy Butler, who suffered a season-ending ACL tear Monday night — head coach Steve Kerr said he would look more toward his bench depth, including Kuminga who hadn't played in 16 games due to a coach's decision.

Kuminga received a roar from the Chase Center crowd when he subbed into the game to start the second quarter of the contest.

He finished with 20 points on 7-of-10 shooting in 21 minutes. He added five rebounds and two assists. Teammate Buddy Hield led the team in scoring with 25 points off then bench, including a perfect 6-of-6 from deep, in 19 minutes of play.

“JK [Kuminga] been a factor in here," head coach Steve Kerr told reporters. "Really pleased with the way he’s stayed ready and stayed prepared, and he got his opportunity and played really well.”

With Butler out, Kerr said that he would tinker with different lineups on various "trial and error" runs. Kerr told USA TODAY that it's possible Kuminga could even jolt into the starting role.

"Everything’s a possibility right now," Kerr said. “When you have an injury to, not only one of your best players but one of the best players in the league, it just changes everything. The puzzle completely changes. So we will definitely experiment with some different lineups and combinations. One guy effects the other four and so it will be under consideration, for sure.”

SEATTLE (AP) — Lexie Adzija scored Seattle's first short-handed goal of the season in the third period to take the lead for good, and the Torrent beat the Toronto Sceptres 6-4 on Tuesday night to snap a three-game losing streak.

The expansion Torrent set the franchise's single-game record for goals (six) and tied for the most in the PWHL this season. The 10 combined goals were the most in a PWHL game this season. Minnesota and Seattle combined for eight goals — the previous high — in the Frost's 6-2 win Jan. 11.

Jessie Eldridge had a goal and two assists and Hannah Bilka added a goal and an assist for Seattle (4-1-2-5). Hilary Knight. Julia Gosling, and Megan Carter, who played 19 games for Toronto as a rookie last season, also scored for the Torrent. Carter’s goal — the first of her career and the first by a Seattle defender this season— made it 5-3 with 14:34 left in the game. Corinne Schroeder had 31 saves.

Blayre Turnbull, Jesse Compher, Kali Flanagan and Natalie Spooner each scored a goal for Toronto (4-1-3-6), which beat Vancouver 2-1 in overtime Saturday at home to snap a four-game losing streak. Raygan Kirk had 27 saves.

Turnbull opened the scoring 78 seconds into the game and Compher added a goal to give Toronto a 2-0 lead less than three minutes in.

Flanagan scored her first goal of the season with 9:30 remaining in the second period to make it 3-3.

Toronto: The Sceptres visit Vancouver on Thursday.

Seattle: The Torrent play Vancouver at Ball Arena in Denver on Saturday as part of the PWHL’s Takeover Tour.

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This might be the best Rockets win of the season. It’s certainly my favorite win.

There’s been a lot of negativity around here (looks at self) regarding aspects of this year’s Rockets team, a good bit of it deserved. This is all positivity, though. That’s because this victory carried two great signs that we can all hope continue. The first is a return of the determination, fight, and intensity of last year’s Rockets team. A team that sometimes simply enforced their collective will on opponents, despite not necessarily playing better than that opponent. The second is a victory of awareness, of recognition of problems and some positive responses to those problems. Long may it continue.

If you watched the first half of this game, you may be forgiven for finding something better to do with your life in the second half. This game was mostly a reward for Rockets degenerates, and a just punishment for those Spurs fans who think their team plays ethical basketball.

The first quarter was all Spurs, almost to the point of absurdity. It wasn’t that the Rockets came out flat, or didn’t score the ball. After a good 15-20 minutes levelling a rim with a big ladder and a fine German level, to repair Stephon Castle’s vandalism, the Rockets started with plenty of fire. It was more a case of absurdly hot Spurs being even more fiery from three, and Udokan Math not mathing. That is, trading threes for twos, constantly. The Spurs attempted 27 shots for the quarter. 13 of those shots were three pointers, of which they made 8. They went 4-14 around the basket, and in the paint, and 1-1 on a longer two point attempt. The Rockets? They had 21 FGA, and made 11-16 twos, and 2-5 threes. The Rockets also missed several free throws, while San Antonio didn’t.

There can be fewer clearer demonstrations of “three is more than two” and “quantity has a quality all its own” than this first quarter. Certainly there were Rocket defensive mistakes, mainly Alperen Sengun helping away from Julian Champanie, a 36% three point shooter on the season, who went 4 for 5 from three in the first. (He’s shooting a robust 16-29 from three against the Rockets overall this season, so maybe don’t leave him?). In any case, the quarter ended 39-28 Spurs.

The second seemed much like the first, only the Spurs cooled off, from 70% to 45% on threes, and the Rockets made a few more shots. The Rockets defense was much better, and they started fixing defensive mistakes. Still a quarter ending 32-31 in favor of the Rockets wasn’t going to do much to close the gap established in the first quarter. But the quarter began all Spurs, like the first, and slowly the impetus changed to the Rockets. Hard to spot, but the Rockets were now showing a more energy and determination, perhaps.

The Rockets would definitely display their 2024-25 season fire in the third quarter, where it seemed the Rockets were defending very well, and if the Rockets were going to go down, they’d drag the Spurs to hell with them. The quarter ended in a tie, with only 22 points scored by either side.

This defensive display by the Rockets was matched by an offense that couldn’t gain any ground in the third. This, perhaps, is at the heart of some of the criticism of Ime Udoka and his black clad cult member coaching staff. It’s very hard to solely defend your way to victory in the NBA. Holding the Spurs to 22 points is a great accomplishment. Scoring 22? Not so much. The Spurs maintained their 10 lead going into the 4th.

Then it happened. Something many of us have been waiting for all season. Perhaps it was genius, perhaps it was madness, perhaps it was pure desperation, but Reed Sheppard was turned loose on the Spurs. Not only did he pass and shoot well, he defended well, too. He almost single handedly sparked a comeback, swinging the game to the Rockets. With confidence the other Rockets played well, and got timely passes, too. The defense, very good in the third quarter, got even better. The offense, moribund in the third, came to life with a triple threat point guard leading the way. The Rockets won this quarter 29-14, and not so coincidentally, the game.

Alperen Sengun, after a not especially great first half, was dominant on both ends in the second. He finished with 20pts/13rbs/9ast. All of KD, Jabari and Amen had good games, too. KD didn’t shoot it as much, but he was 7 of 12, with 18pts/4rbs/7ast/1stl/1blk and an unfortunate 4 TO. Jabari was Dr Jaswishy, he went 7-13, and 3-5 from three, for 17pts/4rbs/1ast/1blk. Amen also had a very good game – 16pts/10rbs/6ast/1stl/2blk.

Then there was Reed, who as much as I have appreciated all that Josh Okogie brings to the table, should be starting. At point guard. He went for 21pts on 8-17 shooting, 4-10 from three, with 1rb/4ast/1stl/1blk and no turnovers in 29 minutes. He played good defense, after a fairly shaky first half. There’s no comeback without Reed. More Josh Okogie minutes won’t get the Rockets there.

Dorian Finney-Smith also looked like the players the Rockets signed. He kept Victor Wembanyama away from his spots in the second half. The Rockets overall defense really told in the second half. Here are the final shooting stats for the key Spurs. Wemby 5-21. Fox 6-15. Castle 5-19. Barnes 2-6. Champagnie, well, 8-17. Keldon Johnson drove right. Teams aren’t going to win many games in which they shoot 22 fewer shots than their opponents, but the Rocket can with the kind of defense they played in the second half of this game. The Spurs average 117 points per game, tonight they were held to 11 below that average.

This is the best win I can remember this season. I hope we see more of what we saw in that glorious fourth quarter going forward. We’re halfway through the season, with everything still to play for.

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 held the Nuggets to 36 points in the second half. Marcus Smart, the team’s perimeter defensive stalwart, sparked a 16-0 fourth-quarter run to put the game away, scoring 11 of his 15 points during the six-and-a-half-minute streak.

“Just contributions from everybody,” coach JJ Redick said, noting the second-half performance from Jaxson Hayes (nine points, five rebounds) after Ayton's injury, nine points from Drew Timme off the bench and defensive energy from Jarred Vanderbilt. “It was a great team win. 

Redick is hopeful that Ayton was just poked in the eye and he will be back by the time the Lakers play the Clippers at Intuit Dome on Thursday. 

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.

Read more:Can the Lakers 'have fun with it' in the second half of the season?

On the other bench, Denver’s injured superstar was dressed in a forest green suit. Nikola Jokic, the Nuggets’ three-time most valuable player, has been sidelined because of a knee injury since Dec. 30. 

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. Backup center Jonas Valanciunas, who has missed the last 11 games with a calf injury, 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.

For a team that had lost five of its last seven games and was beginning a difficult eight-game road trip with the NBA trade deadline looming in two weeks, the moment could have broken the Lakers. 

Instead, Doncic showed why he led the league in All-Star fan voting. After scoring 16 points on six-of-six shooting in the first quarter, Doncic started distributing to his teammates. He had nine points and four assists in the third quarter as the Lakers trimmed a 16-point deficit to two entering the fourth. Doncic scored or assisted on 11 unanswered Lakers points.

“It showed the character of our team,” Doncic said of how the Lakers responded to the end of the first half. “… We just stayed together.”

The Lakers could have wilted when the Nuggets hit nine three-pointers in the first quarter too, Doncic said. But they calmly locked back in on defense and committed to the plan to blitz Murray, who scored 26 in the first half. Then Doncic continued his take over. 

Read more:Lakers' Luka Doncic named NBA All-Star Game starter, LeBron James waits for reserve call

“Luka, you can't turn the engine halfway with him,” Redick said. “Once the engine's on, like he's in kill mode. And it's on me as a coach to make sure that everybody else is involved, and it's on him too, on the court to make sure that. And truthfully, I think he's done a phenomenal job of that the last couple weeks.”

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 outscored the Nuggets by 20 points when James was on the floor in the second half after he was held to just seven points with four turnovers in the first. 

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.”

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Bam Adebayo scored 25 points, Norman Powell added 22 and the Miami Heat cruised to a 130-117 road win over the Sacramento Kings on Tuesday night.

The Heat have won three of their last five and led by double digits the entire fourth quarter. Andrew Wiggins added 19 points, while Pelle Larsson had 16 points and a team-high nine assists.

Simone Fontecchio scored 15 points off the bench on five 3-pointers. Miami shot 50% from 3-point range, hitting 21 of 42.

Miami guard Tyler Herro (ribs) and center Kel’el Ware (hamstring) missed the game, leaving the Heat without two key rotation players. Ware — who is averaging a team-high 9.8 rebounds — missed his first game of the season.

Sacramento has dropped two straight games after winning a season-high four in a row. DeMar DeRozan led the Kings with 23 points, while Russell Westbrook added 22 on 9-of 14 shooting.

Malik Monk scored 18 points, while Dylan Cardwell added 12 rebounds.

The Heat took a 77-64 lead at halftime on the strength of a 45-point second quarter that included nine 3-pointers. Miami made 15 of 24 shots (62.5%) from behind the arc before the break.

Miami snapped a streak of four straight road losses that all came by at least 12 points.

Heat: At Portland on Thursday.

Kings: Host Toronto on Wednesday.

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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA

The San Antonio Spurs left Toyota Center Tuesday night with a familiar and frustrating feeling, undone once again by a late-game collapse in a 111–106 loss to the Houston Rockets that spoiled an otherwise encouraging road performance.

For much of the evening, the Spurs were the sharper, more composed team. They opened the game with one of their best offensive quarters of the season, building a 39–28 lead behind quick ball movement, confident shooting, and an aggressive defense that kept Houston scrambling. San Antonio pushed the pace, shared the ball freely, and capitalized on early mismatches to seize control.

That momentum carried into the second quarter, where the Spurs continued to dictate tempo. Victor Wembanyama provided flashes of brilliance throughout the night, but Houston’s defense on him was on point. He finished with just 14 points on 5-of-21 shooting, his worst performance of the season. Despite that, San Antonio entered halftime with a double-digit advantage and appeared well-positioned to secure a road win.

But as has been the case too often this season, sustaining that level proved difficult.

“A lot of things went wrong in the fourth quarter,” Spurs Head Coach Mitch Johnson said. “Houston did a heck of a job… but we had a rough whole half. We missed open shots, we weren’t strong in creating leads, passing, and mental stuff. It was a variety of things across the board.”

The game began to tilt late in the third quarter when the Spurs’ offense stalled. Open looks that fell earlier in the night stopped dropping, and possessions grew increasingly stagnant. Houston took advantage, trimming the deficit with transition opportunities and second-chance points that energized the home crowd.

What followed in the fourth quarter was decisive.

The Rockets opened the final period with renewed confidence, while the Spurs struggled to find rhythm. The Rockets outscored San Antonio 29–14 over the final 12 minutes. The Spurs went cold at the worst possible time, going 0-for-8 before their first made basket of the frame. The prolonged scoring drought allowed Houston to erase the remainder of San Antonio’s lead, and the Rockets surged ahead behind a series of perimeter shots and aggressive drives to the rim. San Antonio managed just 14 points in the quarter, a stark contrast to the offensive efficiency that defined the opening half.

“They (Houston) got some good one-on-one defenders, and now you’re playing against those guys a lot of times against the clock. And then when that happens, you get rushed up again at times. And we saw that, not just with Victor, but the whole team,” Johnson said of his team’s offensive struggles in the second half.

Houston’s guards repeatedly penetrated the Spurs’ defense, forcing rotations that led to open looks and timely baskets. Meanwhile, San Antonio’s possessions were rushed, with contested jumpers and missed opportunities at the rim rearing their head as the main problem. The Spurs had chances to regain control, but key stops and baskets never materialized.

Late-game execution — both offensively and defensively — remains a work in progress for a Spurs team balancing development with the desire to win now. Missed rotations, untimely fouls, and an offense that bogged down under pressure proved costly against a Houston team that seized the moment.

“It’s the same as blowing a 15-point lead,” Wembanyama said when asked about blowing a 16-point lead to Houston. “The good thing is we’re all onto the problem, and we’re all putting our minds into it. But we’re conscious that it is a problem.”

For a young team still learning how to win in hostile environments, Tuesday night served as another hard lesson. Until San Antonio finds consistency in crunch time, strong starts and encouraging stretches will continue to be overshadowed by disappointing finishes.

Game notes

• Someone needs to open an investigation to that rim situation. Can the Houston team get a more accurate level? I’m kidding obviously. but man that was annoying.
• Outside of Julian Champagnie, who shot 50 percent from three, the rest of the Spurs struggled. San Antonio went 6-for-18 from beyond the arc sans Champagnie. That’s an issue that needs to be addressed at some point.
• San Antonio had nine turnovers on the night with Stephon Castle and De’Aaron Fox having three each.
• Keldon Johnson had an “off night” by his standards, scoring just 12 points on the night. That’s not so bad, but when Harrison Barnes (6 points, 33% shooting) continues to struggle, that number needs to be better for the Spurs to win.
• San Antonio looked tired and it hit them in the fourth quarter. Maybe the back-to-back caught up with them, but in the end, you learn and move on.

The Texas back-to-back was fun, but in both matchups, a shorthanded Minnesota Timberwolves team was edged in the last few minutes of each game. Minnesota looked to get back on track in a slightly later than usual 8 PM CT tipoff against the Utah Jazz in the place that Rudy Gobert, Mike Conley, Joe Ingles, and Johnny Juzang called home.

Anthony Edwards and Rudy Gobert were both removed from the injury list and are expected to play in this one, while Naz Reid is listed as questionable after exiting the Spurs game with a left shoulder injury on Saturday night. While they played well for stretches in each of the last two games, it is important that they get back to their winning ways that have been lacking since the calendar year flipped, as the West is always tight when it comes to the seeding race.

Minnesota got off to a fast start early and used transition and fast break opportunities to get in a rhythm early. The Jazz kept fighting back and would not go away; however, they kept coming at the Timberwolves despite an early double-digit disadvantage.

The Timberwolves took their foot off the gas in the 2nd quarter, after leading the way for much of the first. The Jazz went blow for blow with them in the second. Rudy Gobert defended the rim well to the tune of multiple blocks, but Minnesota struggled a lot elsewhere on that end of the floor. Keyonte George was on fire in the first half, scoring 23 points and making difficult shots look easy. Ant led the way for the Wolves with 17 of his own, but Utah took a slight edge heading into the final 24 minutes with a one-point lead.

Minnesota used its pressure to force more Jazz turnovers and get open looks with numbers in transition. While the Jazz offense stayed strong to start the frame, with their cutting and spacing. The Timberwolves held steady and started to knockdown threes in short order, going on a 15-4 run. Ant finished the quarter by going on a heater – bumping guys off of him to get to his spot in the mid range. After trailing by one at halftime, Minnesota dominated the frame to take a 12-point lead into the fourth quarter.

This is when it all fell apart. The Jazz got an injection in their offense by running the floor and finishing in transition. They kept getting shots before the Timberwolves were set up. In the half-court, they spread out the offense to attack the space and got easy lay-ins on backdoor cuts that seemed to catch the Wolves by surprise every time. Utah caught lightning in a bottle, shooting 17/25 from the field in the fourth quarter and putting up 43 points after being stagnant for much of the third. Utah threw its punch, and the Timberwolves never got back up. An Ant flurry at the end of the game gave them a glimmer of hope, but bricked shots sunk them in the end as they dropped an ugly one, 127-122.

Keynote George Career Night

Keynote George was incredible and helped carry the Jazz back to a victory in this one. He scored 43 points on 15/28 shooting, including 6/13 from three. It seemed as though he had an answer to any coverage that the Timberwolves threw at him. He had his spots that he wanted to get to, and he got to them and converted at a high clip. This was a career-high in points for him, and he hit some big shots, including a 3-pointer off of an offensive rebound that proved to be the dagger in this one.

Brutal 4th Quarter

After a third quarter that seemed like the Wolves were leaning on their “taking care of business” attitude that has been a big part of 2026, Minnesota completely lost themselves in the final 12 minutes. Being loose with the ball, giving the Jazz energy, and letting it snowball all came together in a culmination of the loss this evening. Utah snatched the energy and momentum and never gave it back.

Usually, we have seen the Timberwolves be able to compose themselves after a hard stretch, but the opposite happened in this one. It seemed like every shot was a prayer that ended in a clank while they gave up backdoor layup after backdoor layup on the other side of the floor. Tough pill to swallow after how they looked in the third quarter.

Up Next

The Timberwolves return home for the first of a three-game home stand, where they take on the Chicago Bulls on FanDuel Sports North. Tipoff is at 7 PM CT.

Highlights

The Lakers surged in the second half on the shoulders of Luka Dončić and Marcus Smart to take the 115-107 win over the Denver Nuggets on Tuesday night. 

It was an offensive showdown early. Denver was a perfect 5-5 from the field, while Los Angeles was shooting at 80%. Luka couldn’t miss and was in double figures with 12 points. Jamal Murray was also perfect from the field with eight points. The only other Laker to score was Deandre Ayton on a layup. 

After a timeout, Luka continued his hot start, converting on a jumpshot. 

The Nuggets were shooting an impressive 81% from behind the arc. The Lakers had no answer for Spencer Jones, who had drained four of Denver’s nine triples in the quarter. Rui Hachimura provided some offense for LA with four points. 

LeBron James converted on a jumper at the buzzer to cut the deficit to nine going into the second period.

Drew Timme opened the quarter with five straight points to make it a four-point game. Timme time was in full effect as he also converted on a layup. LA looked like they were poised to go on a big run, until Denver responded to push their lead to eight. 

LeBron gave Los Angeles some life with an emphatic dunk, staring down the crowd right after. 

The Nuggets had been able to extend their lead to double-digits, but the Lakers responded to cut it down to six. LA’s defense was awful, though, as Murray was able to get to the rim with ease, scoring six quick points. 

Los Angeles ended the half disastrously, falling apart. To make matters even worse, Murray heaved a shot that, of course, went in at the buzzer. At halftime, the purple and gold were down by 14. 

LeBron opened the third period with a layup for LA. Peyton Watson started to cook for the Nuggets, scoring six points. After a quick four-point surge by Los Angeles, Denver called a timeout. Out of the break, the Nuggets turned the ball over, and it resulted in a jumper by Luka on the other end. 

Denver’s lead was down to single digits after Luka converted on a triple. 

The Lakers tightened their defense, which led to a 15-4 scoring run. Luka was now at 32 points for the game. 

A dunk from Aaron Gordon and four points from Jones forced a timeout call from LA. LeBron scored five straight to make it a two-point game going into the fourth period. They outscored Denver 29 to 17 in the quarter. 

The final frame began with the Lakers tying the game off a layup from Timme. Both teams then took turns tying the game again, with LA not able to take the lead. The Nuggets went up by four.

Ayton suffered an eye injury in the first half and was ruled out for the remainder of the game. 

Los Angeles got their first lead of the game by two at the 6:42 mark, thanks to free throws from Luka. Smart scored six in a row to give the Lakers more cushion in their lead.

LA’s defense was suffocating the Nuggets, leading to a five-minute scoring drought. Smart’s second-half dominance continued with another triple. Denver’s drought ended as they scored six straight. LeBron responded with another powerful dunk. 

Los Angeles kept their composure, and Denver played the foul game the rest of the way, as the Lakers cruised to victory.

Key Player Stats

Dončić scored 16 of his 38 points in the first quarter. He also ended with 13 rebounds, 10 assists and two steals. LeBron notched 19 points with nine rebounds and eight assists. Smart had 15 massive points and two rebounds. Ayton pitched in with four points and eight rebounds. 

Timme had nine points and three rebounds. Hachimura ended with nine points and five rebounds. Jaxson Hayes scored nine points with five rebounds and two blocks. 

The Lakers’ next matchup will be against the Los Angeles Clippers on Thursday at 7:00 PM PT.

You can follow Karin on Twitter at @KarinAbcarians.

Another injury has hit the Lakers’ roster with Deandre Ayton hurting his left eye in the middle of LA’s road game against Denver.

Ayton suffered the injury during the first half and did not return at the start of the third quarter. Initially, the Lakers listed him as questionable to return, but he was officially ruled out of the contest at the start of the fourth quarter.

Ayton is LA’s starting center and was in the middle of a very solid performance against the Nuggets with four points and eight rebounds. With Ayton out, the Lakers will rely on Jaxson Hayes and two-way forward Drew Timme to provide them with enough size to compete with the Denver bigs.

Ayton has been relatively healthy this year. He has played in 37 of LA’s 42 games. Recently, Ayton missed a game against the Blazers due to left knee soreness.

On the season, Ayton is averaging 14.2 points and 8.8 rebounds per game. The Lakers will have to provide an update later to let us know whether this is a serious injury that will force him to miss additional games or if he can return immediately.

The Lakers have just started an eight-game road trip, so it would be best for the purple and gold if Ayton can suit up and play in those upcoming contests.

Los Angeles is currently in a play-in position, and a successful road trip could help them get back into the top six in the Western Conference.

You can follow Edwin on Twitter at @ECreates88 or on Bluesky at @ecreates88.bsky.social.