The Denver Nuggets beat the Los Angeles Lakers 133-96 at Ball Arena on Saturday to secure their second consecutive victory, both by 30+ points.

Nikola Jokic had a triple-double of 17 points, 12 rebounds and 13 assists for the Nuggets, but he was not as productive as usual due to the special defensive arrangements made by the purple and gold. However, his teammates were ridiculously hot from downtown, draining 23 3-pointers at 57.5 percent.

Only James Ennis III, who was sent to the court during garbage time, of the Nuggets' 10-man rotation did not make a shot behind the arc. Denver rookie Bones Hyland was 6-10 in triples to for a career-high 27 points and 10 rebounds.

"It meant a lot to me. It took some stress off my shoulders and made me relax more and it also made me more comfortable knowing me and coach have that connection," Hyland said.

The Lakers obviously gave some thoughts to preparing for Saturday's game, especially in limiting Jokic. Instead of going small like they did in most games recently, the purple and gold used both Dwight Howard and DeAndre Jordan to make sure that Jokic wouldn't having his own way in the paint.

However, the Lakers did many of other things wrong. They couldn't stop the Nuggets from making 11 triples at 68.75 percent in the first half because the Nuggets made some unreasonable shots. But the purple and gold had no one else to blame for their poor offensive performance, which only produced 19 and 17 points in the third and fourth quarters, respectively.

Russell Westbrook couldn't be made the scapegoat for Saturday's loss after shooting at 7-15 in field goals (FGs) and 1-2 in 3-pointers to get 19 points with no turnovers.

LeBron James was not in his best form either. He missed 14 of his 23 FG attempt, including six triples, despite scoring 25 points and nine rebounds. His team has already suffered three losses in a row, ranking seventh in the Western Conference with only a half-game lead over the Clippers and Minnesota Timberwolves.

"We've got to get back to the drawing board and get our defense right," Lakers head coach Frank Vogel said. "We haven't performed well enough in the last two games on that side of the ball."

Nets win but lose Durant to injury

The Brooklyn Nets defeated the New Orleans Pelicans 120-105 at the Barclays Center on Saturday to avoid straight losses.

Despite the victory, the Nets witnessed their best player, Kevin Durant, leave the court and never return after spraining his left knee in a collision with teammate Bruce Brown in the second quarter.

Durant suffered a similar injury when he was playing for the Golden State Warriors in March 2017. The grade 2 MCL sprain and a tibial bone bruise cost him the last 19 games of the regular season, but he returned on time for the playoffs.

The problem is, Durant was 29 years old back then. Now he is 33, has recovered from an Achilles tendon injury, and has averaged 36.5 minutes per game, the fifth most in the league. It's not realistic to expect him to come back as quickly as he did in 2017.

Durant will have an MRI exam on Sunday.

Since the Nets were playing at home, unvaccinated Kyrie Irving was unable to appear. James Harden again had to carry the team's offense alone after Durant left. Fortunately for him, his teammates were more reliable than usual. Patty Mills and Cam Thomas had 21 and 20 points, respectively, after combining for five triples. Nets rookies Kessler Edwards and Day'Ron Sharpe had good performances, dropping 28 points and 16 rebounds combined.

The above contributions by the team's role players partly explained where Harden's 15 assists came from. He also had 27 points after making two 3-pointers and seven free throws at home. The Nets established a 28-point lead (69-41) in the first half, safe enough for them to stand against the Pelicans' counterstrike in the last two quarters.

"Guys got to step up. It's simple," Harden said. "Obviously you know how great of a player KD is and what he brings to the table each and every night consistently. So, guys got to step up and fill that role and just continue to compete."

What the Nets should worry about, however, is the future. Besides Durant and Irving, the team also missed Joe Harris, Nicolas Claxton and LaMarcus Aldridge – either elite shooters or key big men in rotations.

The Nets are playing nine of their next 11 games on the road – one four-game streak and the other is a five-game streak. Their opponents include the Cleveland Cavaliers, Lakers, Warriors, Phoenix Suns, Utah Jazz and Nuggets.

Other games on Saturday (away teams come first):

Toronto Raptors 103-96 Milwaukee Bucks

Portland Trail Blazers 115-110 Washington Wizards

New York Knicks 117-108 Atlanta Hawks

Philadelphia 76ers 109-98 Miami Heat

Cleveland Cavaliers 107-102 Oklahoma City Thunder

Los Angeles Clippers 94-101 San Antonio Spurs

Orlando Magic 92-108 Dallas Mavericks