The case for Nikola Jokic to the best Nugget ever got even stronger Friday despite a frustrating loss.

If it wasn’t definitive already, Jokic climbed atop the franchise’s career list for career rebounds with his sixth rebound of the 126-108 loss to the Lakers at Crypto.com Arena. After Lonnie Walker IV missed a 3-pointer early in the third, Jokic cleaned up on the defensive glass and passed Dan Issel’s 5,707 career boards for the franchise record.

After finishing with 11 rebounds, Jokic wasted little time creating some space between him and the field.

The 27-year-old already owns the franchise’s only NBA Most Valuable Player awards and the team record for triple-doubles. He’s fewer than 200 assists away from passing Alex English for that franchise record, though Jokic still has a way to go before catching the Hall of Famer for the most points in Nuggets history.

Bench still being sorted out

The rash of illnesses and minor injuries to start the season saw a lot of different combinations used in the second unit, but the Nuggets seemed to like what they had with Jamal Murray staggering alongside a four-man bench unit featuring Bones Hyland, Christian Braun, Jeff Green and DeAndre Jordan. Braun was again the first man off the Nuggets’ bench in the middle of the first quarter, but things didn’t start well for the second unit, and Davon Reed replaced the rookie to start the second quarter.

Reed was the first player off the bench in the second half, while Braun didn’t play after the first quarter until Malone emptied his bench with the Lakers up in the final minutes.

Malone also went away from DeAndre Jordan in the second half, instead playing Green and Aaron Gordon in a small-ball lineup for the meaningful minutes.

The Lakers finished with a 58-23 edge in bench scoring led by Thomas Bryant’s 21-point night. Austin Reaves (16) and Russell Westbrook (15) combined for 31 more points of Darvin Ham’s bench, while Green’s 8 points topped the Nuggets reserves. Bones Hyland was a minus-24 in just under 15 minutes of playing time, finishing with five points on nine shots with two rebounds and two assists.

Murray exits late

As if things weren’t bad enough, Jamal Murray appeared to tweak an ankle in the final minutes. Gordon committed a take foul to stop the game with 2:26 left in the fourth, so Murray and the rest of the starters could exit the game.

While it didn’t look serious as Murray walked off the court under his own power, it will be interesting to see how it responds after a flight back to Denver ahead of Sunday’s return to action. Murray played nearly 36 minutes, finishing with 23 points, five rebounds and six assists, which were offset by his five turnovers.

LAKERS 126, NUGGETS 108

What happened: The Nuggets’ three-game win streak came to an end in worrisome fashion Friday in Los Angeles.

The Lakers, which played without Anthony Davis in the second half, made the Nuggets look sloppy. Denver finished with 19 turnovers that led to 28 Lakers points.

The Nuggets turned it over seven times in the first quarter and trailed 33-32 to start the second. The Lakers stretched the lead to nine early in the second, but the Nuggets answered with a 20-2 run to regain the lead. The Lakers answered with a 9-0 spurt erase the Nuggets’ lead in the final minutes of the second quarter before Aaron Gordon’s 3-pointer with 7.4 seconds left put the Nuggets up 65-64 at halftime.

After putting up 10 points and four rebounds in the first half, Davis missed the rest of the game with a right foot or ankle injury.

A 9-0 run early in the third got Denver’s lead back up to 10 only for the Lakers to close the quarter on a 20-5 run, taking a five-point lead to the fourth. A couple of 3s from Max Christie stretched the Lakers lead to double digits in the fourth, and the Lakers cruised the rest of the way.

What went right: Jokic set the franchise record for career rebounds and finished with 25 points, 11 rebounds, eight assists and four steals. He did have five of Denver’s turnovers, so even the two-time Most Valuable Player had room for improvement.

What went wrong: Beyond the turnovers, the Nuggets’ bench got outscored 58-23. Westbrook posted a 15-point, 11-rebound, 12-assist triple-double for the Lakers.

The Lakers finished with a 52.7 field-goal percentage for the game and scored 29 or more points in all four quarters.

Highlight of the night: After the Lakers closed within two late in the third quarter, Jokic spun on Thomas Bryant and hit a step-back jumper while drawing a foul. He hit the free throw to complete the impressive three-point play. Unfortunately for Denver, the three-point play and Jokic’s record-breaking rebound were a rare bright spot during the Lakers’ strong third quarter.

On deck: The Nuggets start a four-game homestand Sunday against the Hornets.