Murray leads seven Nuggets in double figures as Denver beats Lakers 121-106

Jamal Murray scored 21 points and Nikola Jokić added 17 points and eight assists as the Denver Nuggets beat the Los Angeles Lakers 121-106 on Friday at Crypto.com Arena.

The Nuggets had seven players score in double figures and shot 58.2 percent from the field. They led by 14 after the first quarter, watched the Lakers climb back within two early in the fourth, then pulled away behind Marvin Bagley III, DeMar DeRozan and Tyus Jones.

Austin Reaves led Los Angeles with 19 points, five rebounds and three assists. Luka Dončić scored 15 points with four rebounds and two assists in 19 minutes, all in the first half. Sandro Mamukelashvili added 15 points, eight rebounds and four assists off the bench.

Denver set the pace with a 36-22 first quarter. The Lakers won the second 33-26 to get within 62-55 at halftime, then narrowed the deficit to 88-83 entering the fourth. Los Angeles’ improved ball movement gave it a chance to recover from the early hole.

Mamukelashvili opened the final quarter with a three-pointer that made it 88-86. Bagley answered with a dunk, and DeRozan added a jumper. The Lakers were still within three after Quentin Grimes hit a three with 9:48 left, but Denver then scored eight straight points.

Bryce Hopkins supplied a driving floater and a free throw during that run. Bagley followed with a three-pointer and a putback, pushing the Nuggets ahead 102-91 with 7:59 remaining. DeRozan’s dunk and another Bagley basket kept the margin in double figures after Grimes briefly interrupted the run.

Jones assisted on five Denver baskets in the first five minutes of the quarter. He finished with eight assists and no turnovers in 17 minutes, helping the second unit turn a close game into a lead it could protect.

Bagley finished with 13 points, eight rebounds and two blocks in 17 minutes. DeRozan had 14 points and five assists, shooting 6-for-9. Christian Braun contributed 16 points and six rebounds, while Trevon Brazile had 12 points, eight rebounds, two steals and two blocks.

Cameron Johnson scored 12 for Denver before being ejected for a flagrant-two foul on Reaves in the third quarter. Reaves made both free throws, then hit a three to help Los Angeles keep the game close.

The Lakers made 17 three-pointers to Denver’s 11, but struggled to finish inside the arc. They shot 35-for-82 overall, compared with Denver’s 46-for-79. Ziaire Williams scored 14 on 5-for-6 shooting, Grimes added 11 and Jaden Hardy scored 13.

Denver finished preseason at 3-2; Los Angeles closed at 2-3. The Lakers open the regular season Wednesday against Golden State.

ESPN box score and play-by-play · Silver Screen and Roll’s game report