A live look at the reactions from Lakers fans during the team’s gritty, but ultimate losing, effort against the Nuggets on Friday.
On the second night of a back-to-back, down a whole host of players and matched up with their arch-nemeses in the Nuggets, few expected a competitive performance from the Lakers on Friday.
Those who tuned in, though, saw one of the grittiest efforts of the season. Led by Austin Reaves and Dalton Knecht, the Lakers not only remained competitive, they led at multiple times throughout the game.
Most importantly, they were ahead in the fourth quarter and in the final minute thanks to big defensive plays by Reaves. But the reigning MVP Nikola Jokic and Lakers killer Jamal Murray got the last laugh again, winning the game for the hosts in the final seconds.
Considering the circumstances, fans might have walked away from the game frustrated with the ending but pleased with the effort, as seen in from our commenters in the live game thread.
Here’s how the game played out, in the words of our readers themselves.
First quarter: “So much winning!”
With the expectations on the floor, the Lakers came out playing loose. Led by Austin Reaves putting up a crazy stat line of 12 points, five rebounds and seven assists while playing the whole quarter, the Lakers not only led, but built up a double-digit advantage.
Second quarter: “AR can’t afford to rest too long”
Predictably, the Lakers did not win this game in a blowout. When Austin Reaves sat, the Nuggets pulled themselves back into the game and eventually pulled ahead going into the locker room for halftime.
Third quarter: “This is what ‘compete’ looks like”
At points in the third quarter, it looked like the Lakers were going to run out of steam. The lead reached its largest at 13 points midway through the quarter and the team was in danger of letting go of the rope.
Instead, though, they made yet another big run to close the period, pulling within three points going into the final frame.
Fourth quarter: “We’ve been here before”
The run didn’t stop at the end of the third as Knecht pushed the Lakers into the lead early in the frame. He and Reaves made a number of big plays throughout the period, putting the Lakers ahead by three in the final minute.
But, in a song and dance that is far too familiar, Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray did their thing to tie and then win the game.
Postgame: “Proud of our guys”
You can follow Jacob on Twitter at @JacobRude or on Bluesky at @jacobrude.bsky.social.