Lakers’ Julius Randle posts first career triple-double
Former University of Kentucky star Julius Randle got his first career triple-double for the Lakers with 13 points, 18 rebounds and a career-high 10 assists in a 116-105 loss to the Denver Nuggets on Friday night.
Randle wrapped up his triple-double with a last-minute assist to Jordan Clarkson.
“A lot of times defenses like to load up on me, so I was just making the right play,” Randle said.
His previous career high for assists was five.
“I said it at the beginning of the year: He’s Lamar Odom in a Zach Randolph body,” Kobe Bryant said of Randle.
“He was getting up and down the floor, rebounding — doing all of the little things that he normally does,” Coach Byron Scott said. “His first triple-double, I thought, was the only real big-time positive tonight.”
D.J. Augustin scored 20 points and Jusuf Nurkic added a career-high 18 for Denver.
Bryant hit four three-pointers and scored 28 points in his final meeting with the Nuggets, producing his highest-scoring performance in nearly eight weeks during his farewell season.
Nuggets Coach Mike Malone saw it coming, but his club weathered a Bryant-led rally that trimmed an 18-point lead to four. Denver survived largely thanks to a bench that scored 71 points, led by Augustin and his five three-pointers.
“I got nervous in the third quarter because with Kobe, anything is possible,” Malone said. “This game will miss him. He’s one of those generational players that come along once every 25, 30 years.”
Will Barton added 16 points in a balanced effort by the Nuggets, who have won three of four. They have beaten the Lakers six straight times at Staples Center.
D’Angelo Russell was carried off the court by teammates late in the first half, unable to put weight on a sprained right ankle.
He appeared to be making a normal defensive move late in the first half when he rolled his ankle and immediately went down in pain. The Lakers announced he has a moderate sprain, with X-rays revealing no broken bones. Russell is the NBA’s fourth-leading scorer among rookies with 13.3 points per game, and he ranks third with 3.5 assists.
The Lakers will know more Saturday about his availability for their final 10 games.
“I definitely want to get out there,” Russell said. “We only have a few games left, so I want to finish the season out on a positive note.”
Triple-Double highlights courtesy of @J30_RANDLEhttps://t.co/fGR8xIyWY0
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) March 26, 2016
21-year-old Julius Randle is the youngest Laker to record a triple-double since Magic Johnson.
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) March 26, 2016
NUGGETS 116, LAKERS 105
Denver | MIN | FG-A | FT-A | OR-TR | A | F | Pt |
Sampson | 21:58 | 4-9 | 2-2 | 2-3 | 1 | 2 | 11 |
Arthur | 23:28 | 1-8 | 2-2 | 0-3 | 3 | 1 | 4 |
Jokic | 21:42 | 4-9 | 0-0 | 2-12 | 4 | 3 | 8 |
Mudiay | 21:09 | 3-8 | 3-4 | 0-3 | 3 | 0 | 9 |
Harris | 23:40 | 6-13 | 0-1 | 2-3 | 2 | 2 | 13 |
Nurkic | 26:18 | 7-11 | 4-6 | 2-4 | 5 | 3 | 18 |
Barton | 27:38 | 7-12 | 1-2 | 0-5 | 4 | 2 | 16 |
Lauvergne | 24:32 | 4-10 | 1-1 | 4-10 | 0 | 3 | 9 |
Augustin | 26:51 | 6-9 | 3-6 | 0-3 | 8 | 2 | 20 |
Toupane | 22:44 | 3-5 | 0-0 | 1-2 | 1 | 4 | 8 |
Totals | 240:00 | 45-94 | 16-24 | 13-48 | 31 | 22 | 116 |
Percentages: FG .479, FT .667. Three-Point Goals: 10-26, .385 (Augustin 5-7, Toupane 2-4, Sampson 1-1, Barton 1-3, Harris 1-4, Arthur 0-1, Mudiay 0-1, Nurkic 0-1, Jokic 0-2, Lauvergne 0-2). Team Rebounds: 11. Team Turnovers: 9 (14 PTS). Blocked Shots: 7 (Arthur 2, Nurkic 2, Sampson 2, Toupane). Turnovers: 9 (Nurkic 3, Arthur, Augustin, Barton, Harris, Jokic, Mudiay). Steals: 5 (Harris 2, Augustin, Mudiay, Nurkic). Technical Fouls: Nurkic, 3:20 fourth.
L.A. Lakers | MIN | FG-A | FT-A | OR-TR | A | F | Pt |
Bryant | 28:42 | 10-22 | 4-5 | 0-4 | 0 | 2 | 28 |
Randle | 33:38 | 6-10 | 1-2 | 0-18 | 10 | 2 | 13 |
Hibbert | 20:32 | 1-5 | 3-4 | 2-5 | 1 | 4 | 5 |
Russell | 12:00 | 1-4 | 0-0 | 0-1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
Clarkson | 35:01 | 8-16 | 0-0 | 0-4 | 1 | 3 | 20 |
Williams | 30:17 | 4-8 | 4-6 | 1-1 | 3 | 0 | 14 |
Bass | 27:28 | 2-5 | 6-6 | 2-4 | 3 | 2 | 10 |
Nance Jr | 19:33 | 2-6 | 0-0 | 1-3 | 0 | 3 | 4 |
Huertas | 18:42 | 1-3 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 5 | 1 | 2 |
World Peace | 14:07 | 2-6 | 3-3 | 1-3 | 0 | 1 | 7 |
Totals | 240:00 | 37-85 | 21-26 | 7-43 | 23 | 19 | 105 |
Percentages: FG .435, FT .808. Three-Point Goals: 10-23, .435 (Clarkson 4-7, Bryant 4-9, Williams 2-3, Huertas 0-1, Nance Jr. 0-1, World Peace 0-2). Team Rebounds: 8. Team Turnovers: 11 (16 PTS). Blocked Shots: 3 (Bass, Nance Jr., Randle). Turnovers: 11 (Bass 3, Russell 3, Randle 2, Bryant, Huertas, Williams). Steals: 6 (Williams 2, World Peace 2, Clarkson, Nance Jr.). Technical Fouls: Clarkson, 3:20 fourth.
Denver | 24 | 34 | 25 | 33 | — | 116 |
L.A. Lakers | 31 | 15 | 31 | 28 | — | 105 |
Att.—18,997 (18,997). T—2:12.
Officials—Ron Garretson, Ben Taylor, James Williams.
This story was originally published March 26, 2016 at 1:10 AM with the headline "Lakers’ Julius Randle posts first career triple-double."