Luka Doncic sat out the Los Angeles Lakers' 131-126 loss at Denver on Friday night, cheering on his scrappy, short-handed teammates who nearly pulled off a shocker without four starters. Doncic joined LeBron James on the Lakers' lengthy list of unavailable players after scoring 45 points a night earlier in a loss at Milwaukee.

The Denver Nuggets secured a 132-126 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday at Ball Arena, marking the Lakers fourth straight loss.

The Bucks allowed Doncic to go off for 45 points, which was the most he scored in a Lakers uniform. But with 23 points chipped in from veteran big Brook Lopez along with four blocks, the Bucks were able to get a much-needed win. After the game, Lillard took some time during his media session to heap big-time praise on the Slovenian superstar.