Denver bench unable to pull off improbable comeback vs. L.A.

Even though Monday offered a glimpse of a potentially riveting playoff matchup against the Lakers, the Nuggets had a bigger picture in mind.

With starters Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. on the bench in a nod to preservation, Denver rode its reserves the entire fourth quarter. And they might’ve won had Lakers forward Kyle Kuzma not drained a game-winning 3-pointer in Bol Bol’s face that left just 0.4 seconds remaining.

Thought the Nuggets fell 124121, dropping to 46-25 on the season, it was a game Denver was willing to concede. The lineup of Bol, Mason Plumlee, Monte Morris, P.J. Dozier and Keita Bates-Diop gave LeBron James and Anthony Davis everything they could handle. James finished with 29 points and Davis added 27.

“Couldn’t be more proud of our group,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone said. “I thought we played extremely hard against the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference . ... For us to sit our starters that whole fourth quarter and to have guys on the bench out there giving them all they could handle and lose a heartbreaker is always tough.”

The Nuggets fell 1.5 games behind the Clippers in the race for the No. 2 seed. They’ll face the other L.A. team on Wednesday.

Dozier, who missed a free throw that could’ve given the Nuggets a late lead, registered 18 points off the bench and Morris, another fellow backup guard, added 14. Among the starters, Porter led all scorers with 15 points, Murray had 14 and Jokic had 12.

With only two seeding games left before the postseason arrives, the Nuggets were still missing veterans Gary Harris (hip) and Will Barton (knee) to injuries. A source confirmed TNT’s report that the Nuggets are hopeful both can return for Friday’s final seeding game against Toronto. Denver was also missing veteran forward Jerami Grant (knee) after he played 47 minutes in their recent win over Utah.

If they were able to play, it would mark the first time since they arrived in Orlando in July that the team was fully healthy.

The Nuggets fed off Murray’s energy in the third quarter. Owing his new, stronger physique, Murray bulldozed his way into the paint undeterred by his size disadvantage. He helped pace a 29-point quarter, where the Nuggets’ defense finally became engaged. With their reserves on the floor, Denver closed the quarter on an 8-1 run to tie it at 88 heading into the fourth.

Both the Nuggets and the Lakers had blemishes they sought to erase before the playoffs arrive in a week. Denver’s defense, and in particular its 3-point defense, has been abysmal so far in Orlando. The Lakers, meanwhile, entered Monday with the worst 3-point shooting percentage, by far, in the bubble at 24%.

And to Malone’s chagrin, the Nuggets’ lackluster perimeter defense made them look like snipers. The Lakers buried 14-of29 from 3-point range.