LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) — Kyle Kuzma hit a 3-pointer with .4 seconds left and the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Denver Nuggets 124-121 Monday night to snap a three-game losing streak.
LeBron James threw an inbounds pass to Anthony Davis, who flipped it to Kuzma on the right wing for the game-winner as the clock ran down.
The Lakers, outplayed down the stretch by Denver’s bench, got 29 points and 12 assists from James, who hit two 3-pointers in the fourth quarter. Anthony Davis had 27 points and Kuzma 25.
P.J. Dozier had a chance to put the Nuggets up by one with 4.4 seconds left but missed the second of two free throws. Kuzma rebounded and the Lakers called timeout to set up the winning play.
Dozier had been fouled by Kuzma while driving the lane after a miss by James.
James had given the Lakers a 121-119 lead by converting a 3-point play with 45.7 seconds to go. Monte Morris made one of two free throws for the Nuggets.
The Lakers had clinched the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference before their losing streak started. They are 3-4 n the bubble with one game to go.
Dozier scored 18 and Michael Porter Jr. had 15 for the Nuggets, who are currently the No. 3 seed in the West.
The Lakers took an 87-80 lead late in the third quarter after two buckets by Kuzma and two free throws by Davis. But the Nuggets went on an 8-1 run to finish the quarter in an 88-88 tie. Mason Plumlee made a jumper and Bol Bol and Morris each made a 3-pointer
Davis grabbed the rebound of Kuzma’s miss for a slam dunk at the halftime buzzer that gave the Lakers a 64-59 halftime lead. Davis also made a similar play off miss by Kuzma in the last minute of the first quarter.
TIP-INS
Nuggets: Clinched the Northwest Division after the Oklahoma City Thunder lost to the Phoenix Suns earlier Monday. ... Dozier converted a four-point play early in the second quarter.
Lakers: Dion Waiters had 12 points in 12 minutes off the bench in the first half. ... Davis had big plays on both ends during a sequence in the first quarter, when he stole the ball and then took a pass from James for a layup.
UP NEXT
Nuggets: Play the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday in their penultimate seeding game.
Lakers: Play the Sacramento Kings on Thursday in their final bubble game.
