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Nuggets beat LeBron-less Lakers 128-104 for 6th win in row Los Angeles Lakers guard LeBron James, left, talks with guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Denver Nuggets Sunday, Dec. 22, 2019, in Los Angeles. LeBron James sat out the game because of a thoracic muscle strain. Los Angeles Lakers guard LeBron James, left, talks with guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Denver Nuggets Sunday, Dec. 22, 2019, in Los Angeles. LeBron James sat out the game because of a thoracic muscle strain. (AP Photo/Michael Owen Baker) Los Angeles Lakers center Dwight Howard, center, defends the basket against Denver Nuggets forward Paul Millsap, right, during the first half of an NBA basketball game Sunday, Dec. 22, 2019, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Michael Owen Baker) Los Angeles Lakers center Dwight Howard, center, defends the basket against Denver Nuggets forward Paul Millsap, right, during the first half of an NBA basketball game Sunday, Dec. 22, 2019, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Michael Owen Baker) LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Paul Millsap scored 21 points and the Denver Nuggets dominated the second half in defeating the Los Angeles Lakers, who were without LeBron James, 128-104 on Sunday night for their sixth win in a row.

Gary Harris added 19 points, Nikola Jokic had 18 points, Malik Beasley had 16 points and Will Barton III had 14 points and a career-high-tying 13 rebounds for the Nuggets, who pulled away to a 23-point lead early in the fourth.

James missed his first game of the season because of a thoracic muscle strain. That left the Lakers without his 25.8 point average.

With James looking on in street clothes, Anthony Davis did his best to make up for it with 32 points and 11 rebounds. He scored 11 points playing all 12 minutes of the first quarter.

Kyle Kuzma was the only other Laker in double figures with 16 points, having returned after missing five games with a sprained left ankle. Western Conference-leading Los Angeles lost its third in a row since winning seven straight.

Millsap was questionable to play because of a left knee contusion, but he consistently scored with Davis and Kuzma in the lineup late in the second quarter. His 3-pointer put the Nuggets up 55-53 at the break.

The Lakers successfully challenged a goaltending call against Davis midway through the third that took a basket away from the Nuggets. But Denver responded with a 23-11 run to take a 91-78 lead into the fourth. Seven players scored during the spurt, led by Millsap with seven.

The Nuggets opened the fourth with a 17-7 run with Harris and Beasley doing all the scoring that gave them a 108-85 lead. Beasley had nine points, making two 3-pointers, and Harris had eight.

TIP-INS

Nuggets: Improved to 4-0 in the first game of a back-to-back. ... Their three-game road skid ended.

Lakers: They fell to 10-3 at home. ... Rondo made his first start of the season and had five points and eight assists. ... There was a pregame moment of silence for JoAnn Buss, the former wife of late Lakers owner Jerry Buss and mother of their four children, who now own the franchise. The team said she died last Monday at 86. Jerry Buss died in 2013.

UP NEXT

Nuggets: At Phoenix on Monday in the second game of a back-to-back to conclude a two-game trip.

Lakers: Host the Clippers on Christmas in a match-up of the top teams in the West standings. The Clippers won by 10 points as the home team on opening night in October.

NBA standings today
LeBron reaches assist milestone as Lakers beat Mavericks Los Angeles Lakers guard LeBron James drives to the basket against Dallas Mavericks forward Dorian Finney-Smith, left, during the first half of an NBA basketball game Sunday, Dec. 29, 2019, in Los Angeles. Los Angeles Lakers guard LeBron James drives to the basket against Dallas Mavericks forward Dorian Finney-Smith, left, during the first half of an NBA basketball game Sunday, Dec. 29, 2019, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Michael Owen Baker) Los Angeles Lakers forward Anthony Davis (3) shoots against the Dallas Mavericks forward Kristaps Porzigis, left, during the first half of an NBA basketball game Sunday, Dec. 29, 2019, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Michael Owen Baker) Los Angeles Lakers forward Anthony Davis (3) shoots against the Dallas Mavericks forward Kristaps Porzigis, left, during the first half of an NBA basketball game Sunday, Dec. 29, 2019, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Michael Owen Baker) LOS ANGELES (AP) -- LeBron James became the ninth player in NBA history to reach 9,000 assists and Anthony Davis scored 23 points as the Los Angeles Lakes defeated the Dallas Mavericks 108-95 on Sunday night.

James - who turns 35 on Monday - reached the milestone with 4:35 remaining in the first quarter when he fired an outlet pass to Davis three-quarters of the way down the court for a dunk. It was one of 13 assists on the night for James as he finished with 13 points.

Davis was 8 of 12 from the field in his 26th game this season with 20 or more points. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope added a season-high 19 points, including four 3-pointers, and Dwight Howard scored 15. All of Howard's points came in the second quarter.

Luka Doncic led Dallas with 19 points but struggled from the field one night after recording his ninth triple-double of the season. The second-year guard shot 5 of 14 and missed all six of his 3-point attempts. Delon Wright came off the bench to score 14.

Doncic got to shake hands with Lakers great Kobe Bryant courtside after the game.

Los Angeles - which won two straight after a four-game losing streak - led most of the way. It was up 35-31 midway through the second quarter before going on a 12-2 run to take control. The Mavericks committed four turnovers during the spurt which led to seven Lakers points, including a pair of dunks by Howard.

The Lakers' largest lead was 17 midway through the third quarter.

TIP-INS

Mavericks: Dallas shot a season-low 30.4% from the field during the first half (14 of 46).

Lakers: It was the 25th time in Howard's 15-year career that he scored 15 or more in a quarter. The last time was March 21, 2018, for Charlotte against Brooklyn when he put up 19. ... Los Angeles is 4-0 during road/home back-to-back games. Fwc channel (talk) 02:29, 31 December 2019 (UTC)

NBA stars
The NBA gives fans the gift of star-studded basketball each Christmas Day. After making coffee and opening presents (in that order), you can settle in for five NBA games, starting with the Boston Celtics and Toronto Raptors.

The Celtics and Raptors are two of the best teams in the East so far this season. Despite losing NBA Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard to the Clippers in the offseason, the Raptors are off to a strong start this year, thanks to the improved play of Pascal Siakam and Fred VanVleet and the steady hand of Kyle Lowry. For the Celtics, Kemba Walker has quickly proven to be a better fit with the team than Kyrie Irving was last year and has allowed Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown to flourish while Gordon Hayward regains his old form. The Celtics-Raptors game tips off at 12 p.m. ET in Toronto. Here's the schedule for the NBA's full slate of Christmas Day games:

Boston Celtics at Toronto Raptors: 12 p.m. ET on ESPN Milwaukee Bucks at Philadelphia 76ers: 2:30 p.m. ET (1:30 p.m. CT) on ABC Houston Rockets at Golden State Warriors: 5 p.m. ET (4 p.m. CT, 2 p.m. PT) on ABC Los Angeles Clippers at Los Angeles Lakers: 8 p.m. ET (5 p.m. PT) on ABC/ESPN New Orleans Pelicans at Denver Nuggets -- 10:30 p.m. ET (9:30 p.m. CT, 8:30 p.m. MT) on ESPN Fwc channel (talk) 07:19, 1 January 2020 (UTC)