PREVIEW: The Los Angeles Lakers and Denver Nuggets will face off for the fourth and final time in the 2024-25 NBA regular season at Crypto.com Arena on Thursday. Both teams are riding recent victories heading into this matchup, looking to build momentum in their respective Western Conference races. The Lakers demolished the San Antonio Spurs 125-109 behind another outstanding performance from Austin Reaves, who tallied 30 points along with seven rebounds and six assists. After winning back-to-back home games, Los Angeles remains two victories behind the second-place Houston Rockets and the Nuggets in the conference standings. Denver bounced back from a narrow loss to Washington by defeating the Golden State Warriors 114-105 on the road, showcasing their ability to win without key contributors. Aaron Gordon erupted for a season-high 38 points while Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray were unavailable, demonstrating the Nuggets' improved depth this season. Austin Reaves has been a catalyst for Los Angeles, averaging just under 31 points across his last four matchups and combining for 78 points in the three previous meetings between these teams this year. The Lakers will be without Maxi Kleber and LeBron James, though the latter is drawing closer to returning to action, while Denver faces uncertainty with several players needing to pass late fitness tests before taking the court.