Nuggets public address announcer Kyle Speller kept hollering “defense!” every time the Lakers brought the ball up the floor. And for much of Friday, that command felt like a lost cause. The Lakers had clear paths to the basket and free space behind the 3-point line, helping them climb out of a double-digit first-half deficit and keep regaining the edge when they traded baskets in the final period.
And then Denver locked down just in time, using a fourth-quarter push led by timely baskets — and a block — by Paul Millsap and Nikola Jokic to escape with a 125-116 victory Friday night at the Pepsi Center.