Marcus Smart misses two late threes as Lakers lose to Nuggets despite LeBron’s historic night

The Los Angeles Lakers had this game circled on their calendar for several reasons. The most immediate one was the standings. Sitting just half a game ahead, the Denver Nuggets are a direct rival as the regular season enters its final stretch with just over a month left.

It was also another chance for the Lakers to measure themselves against a team winning more than 60 percent of their games, something they have struggled to do all season, a worrying sign for a team that claims to have championship ambitions.

There were also two milestones on the line. One was certain: Luka Doncic’s 500th NBA game. The other seemed likely - LeBron James becoming the player with the most field goals in league history.

LeBron reached that milestone in the first quarter. When he made his third basket of the night, he moved past Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s mark of 15,837 career field goals. Up to that point everything seemed set for a celebratory night, but it quickly became clear the game would not turn into a party for the purple and gold.

From historic moment to another disappointment

The Lakers ended up losing 120–113 to Denver, even though the Nuggets were still missing several rotation players, including two key defensive pieces, Aaron Gordon and Peyton Watson. Even so, the Lakers’ offense couldn’t dictate the pace against a team that isn’t exactly at its peak form right now.

Jamal Murray did most of the damage early, scoring 20 points in the first half as Denver built a lead that grew to 15 points before halftime. Still, the Nuggets’ turnovers allowed the Lakers to hang around and keep the game within reach.

Denver finished with 18 turnovers, including nine from Nikola Jokic, whom the Lakers attacked aggressively off the dribble in an attempt to neutralize him. Even so, the Serbian star still posted another triple-double: 28 points, 12 rebounds and 13 assists.

The Lakers made their final push in the fourth quarter and briefly looked ready to steal the game. With LeBron orchestrating the offense (16 points and 8 assists) and a productive connection developing between Dincic and Jaxson Hayes, who played 27 minutes after Deandre Ayton left with an injury in the first quarter, the visitors pulled within four points with four minutes remaining.

That’s when LeBron got hurt. After finishing a drive to the basket and absorbing slight contact from Jokic that went uncalled, James fell and hit his left elbow against the shoe of a courtside camera operator. He headed to the bench in visible pain, and by the time he returned a couple of minutes later, the Lakers had trimmed the deficit to just one point.

What followed was a stretch where neither team could score. The Lakers had two chances to tie the game from beyond the arc, but both attempts came from Marcus Smart, each off passes from LeBron.

Smart had been shooting well from three (3-for-4), and the pain in James’ elbow may have kept him from taking the shots himself. He even returned to the bench during the final possessions. Still, it felt like either Doncic or Austin Reaves should have stepped up in that moment.

Doncic finished with 27 points, 11 rebounds, 7 assists and 4 steals, while Reaves posted 16 points, 5 rebounds, 7 assists and 3 steals. But neither player made the decisive play in the possessions that ultimately decided the game.

Other results from around the NBA:

• Orlando Magic 115 – Dallas Mavericks 114
• Washington Wizards 112 – Utah Jazz 122
• Miami Heat 126 – Brooklyn Nets 110
• Houston Rockets 113 – Golden State Warriors 115
• Minnesota Timberwolves 115 – Toronto Raptors 107
• San Antonio Spurs 121 – Detroit Pistons 106
• Phoenix Suns 103 – Chicago Bulls 105
• Sacramento Kings 123 – New Orleans Pelicans 133

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