Needing a win to regain confidence, the Los Angeles Lakers won last Monday's game 124-121 against the Denver Nuggets with a three-pointer from power forward Kyle Kuzma, 0.4 seconds before the end and with 29 points from their star LeBron James.

Although they have secured the top spot in the Western Conference for some time, the Lakers have left a bad impression on this end of the season, with four losses and two victories in the complex of Disney World up until this Monday.

Looking for a victory as a boost, coach Frank Vogel did not give breaks to his stars LeBron and Anthony Davis and kept them on the court for 38 minutes while the Nuggets played the entire last quarter with substitutes.

James finished the game with 29 points, 12 assists, and only one rebound, while Davis had 27 points and 6 rebounds.

Three-headed monster kind of night. #LakersWin @KingJames: 29 pts, 12 ast@AntDavis23: 27 pts, 3 stl, 2 blk@kylekuzma: 25 ptshttps://t.co/36DDRWf13t

— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) August 11, 2020

This time, however, the spotlight was on Kyle Kuzma, who was designed for the last play of the game, with a 121-121 tie. The power forward received the ball in the corner and hit a three-pointer for the victory over Bol-Bol, a 7'2" center. "It's a play that I've practiced a few times. The coach called it for me and gave me the confidence," said Kuzma, who finished with 25 points.

HIGHLIGHTS: Five treys fall for @KingJames, who drops 29 points and a dozen assists. pic.twitter.com/8kaWEZs86k

— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) August 11, 2020

For the Nuggets, Serbian Nikola Jokic scored 12 points and their new talent Michael Porter Jr. scored 15 points with a perfect 6 for 6 shooting, including 3 three-pointers.

As for the fight for the last available playoff spot, which is awarded to the eighth place in the West, the Phoenix Suns kept their candidacy alive with their sixth consecutive victory in Disney World, this time against the Oklahoma City Thunder by 128 to 101, with 30 points from their star Devin Booker.

With only two games left in the regular season, the Suns are in 10th place in the West, 0.5 games behind the Portland Trail Blazers (9th) and 1 game behind the Memphis Grizzlies (8th).

According to the rules of this end of the season, the teams that finish in the eighth and ninth places will face each other over the weekend in a direct elimination (called "play-in") to determine who gets the last ticket to the playoffs, which start on August 17.

The Suns' streak, which arrived at Disney World (Orlando) in 13th place in the West, has led them to unexpectedly fight for qualification until the end, but their coach, Monty Williams, wanted to avoid overconfidence in the remaining two games.

Bucks fall without Giannis

The Milwaukee Bucks, who have already secured the top spot in the Eastern Conference, fell to the second-placed Toronto Raptors by 114-106 without their star Giannis Antetokounmpo, who was out due to a dental issue.

The backup power forward Chris Boucher scored 25 points and 11 rebounds for the Canadians in an unfortunate game for Spanish center Marc Gasol, who failed to score by missing all 5 of his field goal attempts.

For the Bucks, shooting guard Khris Middleton scored 17 points and veteran Kyle Korver scored another 19.

With the fourth place in the East at stake, the Miami Heat defeated the Indiana Pacers by 114 to 92, a matchup that appears likely to be repeated in the first round of the playoffs.

After missing three games, shooting guard Jimmy Butler returned to score 19 points and 11 rebounds for the Heat, while Pacers shooting guard Victor Oladipo scored 14 points.

Meanwhile, the Dallas Mavericks, who rested Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis, defeated the Utah Jazz by 122 to 114, with the Jazz also giving rest to their star Donovan Mitchell.

Results of Monday, August 10th in the NBA:

• Phoenix Suns 128-101 Oklahoma City Thunder
• Utah Jazz 114-122 Dallas Mavericks
• Milwaukee Bucks 106-114 Toronto Raptors
• Miami Heat 114-92 Indiana Pacers
• Los Angeles Lakers 124-121 Denver Nuggets

Games on Tuesday, August 11th in the NBA:

• Orlando Magic vs. Brooklyn Nets
• San Antonio Spurs vs. Houston Rockets
• Philadelphia 76ers vs. Phoenix Suns
• Memphis Grizzlies vs. Boston Celtics
• Dallas Mavericks vs. Portland Trail Blazers
• Sacramento Kings vs. New Orleans Pelicans
• Washington Wizards vs. Milwaukee Bucks