James' triple-double helps Lakers edge Nuggets in OT

Dwight Howard had 14 points and 11 rebounds, and Alex Caruso and Avery Bradley scored 10 points each for the Lakers

LeBron James had 32 points, 14 assists and 12 rebounds, Anthony Davis finished with 33 points and 10 rebounds, and the visiting Los Angeles Lakers beat the Denver Nuggets 120-116 in overtime on Wednesday night. It was the 12th triple-double of the season for James, tying him with the Dallas Mavericks' Luka Doncic for the NBA lead.

Dwight Howard had 14 points and 11 rebounds, and Alex Caruso and Avery Bradley scored 10 points each for the Lakers, who have won 17 straight road games against Western Conference opponents. Los Angeles is 5-1 in its past six games overall.

Four-game streak ends for Nuggets

Jamal Murray had 32 points and 10 assists, Nikola Jokic scored 22 and added 11 rebounds, and Jerami Grant had 15 points for Denver. The Nuggets had their four-game win streak snapped. Gary Harris scored 13 points and Monte Morris added 12 for Denver, which lost both home games to Los Angeles this season.

LeBron James
LeBron James Wikimedia Commons

Davis scored seven points in overtime, including a 3-pointer to put the Lakers ahead 119-116 with 2:41 left. The Nuggets missed their last five shots and had a turnover in the final three minutes of the extra period. Los Angeles led 97-94 after a James dunk, but Grant hit a short jumper, Harris had a pair of free throws, Murray drained a 3-pointer and Harris sank a shot during a 9-0 run put the Nuggets up 103-97 with 4:16 left in regulation.

Lakers edge past Nuggets

The Lakers scored six straight to tie it and took a 109-105 lead when James fed Caruso for a layup with 1:43 left. Jokic hit two free throws and passed to Grant for a layup to get Denver within 111-109, and Harris hit a layup with 23.9 seconds left to tie it again. James missed a jumper in the final seconds to send the game to overtime.

The Lakers ended the first half on a 25-6 run to take a 61-55 lead at the intermission. Los Angeles then scored the first five points of the second half for its biggest lead of the night. Denver came right back with 11 straight points, tying it on a 3-pointer by Jokic. Later in the period, the Nuggets scored seven straight to go up 85-80, and the hosts took an 87-84 lead into the fourth.

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