LOS ANGELES — The smallest player on the floor drove into a crowd for a layup attempt that barely rolled off the rim. And then Isaiah Thomas corralled the loose ball, dribbled his way to some space along the baseline and drilled a turnaround jumper.
About a minute later, Thomas put a move on Nikola Jokic and drove through the lane for the game-clinching basket with 1:37 to play.
In a game that was sometimes offensively challenged but also featured double-digit rallies by both teams, the Lakers’ big fourth quarter propelled them to a 112-103 victory over the Nuggets Tuesday night at Staples Center.