Steely nerves from Kyle Kuzma proved the difference as the Los Angeles Lakers broke their three-game losing streak with a 124-121 win over the Denver Nuggets.
The two teams had gone back and forth all night before Kuzma stepped up to nail a last-second three-pointer from the wing, breaking the Lakers' run of three-straight losses.
LeBron James's 29 points and 12 assists led the Lakers, while Anthony Davis contributed 27 points and Kuzma had 25 for the side ranked number one in the Western Conference.
KYLE KUZMA BURIES THE GAME-WINNING JUMPER WITH 0.4 REMAINING! Final in Orlando:@nuggets 121@Lakers 124 pic.twitter.com/BtyeYKBnve — NBA (@NBA) August 11, 2020
The Phoenix Suns moved to 6-0 since the restart with a thumping 128-101 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Phoenix trailed Oklahoma City by 15 points in the first quarter before Devin Booker's 35 points and the Suns' defensive effort turned it around.
The Milwaukee Bucks came off second best in a battle royale between the top two teams in the Eastern Conference as they fell 114-106 to the Toronto Raptors.
CHRIS BOUCHER WITH NO REGARD FOR HUMAN LIFE pic.twitter.com/TIywg8cTh8 — Toronto Raptors (@Raptors) August 11, 2020
The Bucks missed reigning MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo, out for oral surgery, as Toronto's Chris Boucher scored a career-high 25 points and had 11 rebounds in the win.
The Dallas Mavericks fought their way back from a 22-point deficit to beat the Utah Jazz 122-114 while Jimmy Butler's Miami Heat downed the Indiana Pacers 114-92 in a potential preview of the two teams' scheduled meeting in the post-season next week.
