By Dennis Georgatos, Associated Press
DENVER (AP) — Will Barton and Jamal Murray scored 22 points apiece, and the Denver Nuggets beat the Los Angeles Lakers 129-101 on Monday night for their third win in a row, matching a season high.
Danilo Gallinari and Nikola Jokic each added 18 points for the Nuggets, who have a two-game lead over Portland for the No. 8 playoff seed in the Western Conference with 15 games to play.
Ivica Zubac had 25 points and 11 rebounds for the Lakers, who have lost 10 of their last 11. Jordan Clarkson, who got the start ahead of D'Angelo Russell, added 19 points and Brandon Ingram had 14.
The Lakers trailed by 32 points after a layup by Mason Plumlee early in the third quarter but managed to cut the deficit to 93-76 going into the final period, outscoring the Nuggets 29-14 over the last nine minutes of the third.
But the Nuggets quashed the Lakers' bid to make a game of it, starting the fourth with an 11-0 burst that included 3-pointers by Gallinari and Murray and rebuilt Denver's advantage to 28 points.
The Nuggets led by as many as 28 points in the first half. They put together a 15-0 run in the second quarter that helped them take a 67-43 lead at halftime.
