Lakers' 5-Game Winning Streak Snapped by Nuggets as LeBron James Sits with Injury

The Los Angeles Lakers' five-game winning streak came to an end Monday.

The short-handed Lakers fell to the Denver Nuggets 122-109 at Ball Arena and dropped to 19-22 on the campaign. While they are still on the outside of the playoff picture, they are in a much better position than when they started 2-10.

Los Angeles was already without LeBron James and Anthony Davis coming into play and then lost Patrick Beverley to a right hip injury, leaving it to fight an uphill battle against a championship contender.

Russell Westbrook got off to a slow start from the field and ended up with seven turnovers, but he still did what he could off the bench with 25 points, seven rebounds and seven assists.

While Westbrook put up solid numbers and told reporters he dislocated his right pinky finger in the first half, he was no match for Nikola Jokić on the other side. The two-time reigning MVP posted a triple-double of 14 points, 16 assists and 11 rebounds while making all five of his field-goal attempts.

It was an excellent display of how to impact a game without scoring much, as teammate Jamal Murray did the heavy lifting in that department with 34 points on 13-of-29 shooting.

Denver is 27-13 following its third straight win and tied with the Memphis Grizzlies atop the Western Conference.

As for the Lakers, they will look to get back on track Thursday when they host the Dallas Mavericks.