What We Learned From Nuggets' Statement Win vs Lakers

The Denver Nuggets took care of business against the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday night with a strong 120-113 win, thus taking them to their 39th win on the season, and now evens up the season series 1-1 between these two teams.

Let's dive into a bit of what we learned following the Nuggets' home victory against LeBron James, Luka Doncic, and the rest of the purple and gold:

No Wings, No Problem

Jan 30, 2026; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Nuggets forward Aaron Gordon (32) in the fourth quarter against the Los Angeles Clippers at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images | Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images

The Nuggets' injury woes heading into the night setup this roster to look a bit unorthodox compared to what they've been rolling out all season amid the absences of four main rotation players: Peyton Watson, Aaron Gordon, Spencer Jones, and Cam Johnson.

That led to a rare placement for Zeke Nnaji in the starting lineup, Julian Strawther, and Christian Braun filling out the wings, and then able to lean upon the typical one-two punch of Jamal Murray and Nikola Jokic for a combined 56 points, and it was inevitably too much to stop for LA despite their glaring matchup advantage.

Clearly, David Adelman has shown he's not afraid to shake up some rotations and minutes where necessary, especially when injuries have plagued this roster all season long. This time, those rotational pivots helped lead to what's now Denver's second-straight win.

Julian Strawther Is a Real Rotation Player

Feb 25, 2026; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Nuggets guard Julian Strawther (3) during the second half against the Boston Celtics at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-Imagn Images | Christopher Hanewinckel-Imagn Images

Amid all of the Nuggets' injuries plaguing their roster headed into this one, it would lead to another start for Julian Strawther as one of the lone healthy wings in the rotation that can provide some much-needed length, size, and versatility.

And in that start, Strawther came up big just as he has been for the past 10 games–– logging 18 points to be third on the Nuggets' roster in scoring on the night, along with two rebounds and one steal.

Strawther obviously won't retain his starter role he has right now for the end of the season once health is back on this team's side. But when that time comes for Strawther to revert back to the second unit, he's proven to be a reliable wing worthy of 12-17 minutes a game that can help further fill out Denver's depth come postseason time.

Tyus Jones' Role Might Be Limited

Mar 5, 2026; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Nuggets guard Tyus Jones (5) controls the ball against Los Angeles Lakers forward Rui Hachimura (28) in the first quarter at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images | Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images

The Nuggets' latest roster addition from the buyout market, Tyus Jones, made his official debut for Denver in this one against LA, but it would only be in a pretty limited sample size of six minutes, logging zero points and one assist.

Part of his limited minutes may be in part due to Jones just getting his feet wet with a new team. Perhaps it could be partially matchup-based. But regardless, it still felt a little surprising that Jones didn't get more reps in a game where the Nuggets were down four of their regular rotational players.

Unless there happens to be a notable injury in the Nuggets' backcourt, Jones might not be seeing the floor much more on a nightly basis than he did in this one, and especially so once this rotation gets fully healthy.