Things started poorly and got way worse before they briefly got better for the Nuggets in Los Angeles.

Here are three takeaways from Denver’s 120-108 loss Wednesday at Crypto.com Arena.

1. The recipe Denver followed to beat the Warriors, the hottest team in the NBA at the time, without Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray dissolved on the trip down to Los Angeles. Denver’s dynamic duo missed a second straight game. This time, Luka Doncic dropped 21 of his game-high 31 points in the first quarter, and the Lakers scored 46 points in the first 12 minutes. That’s a long way from the 22 points Denver allowed in the first quarter of Monday’s win at Golden State. An even worse start to the second quarter effectively sunk Denver’s chances to start the road trip 2-0. An effort more like Monday’s would go a long way to a 2-1 start after Friday’s game in Portland.

2. If nothing else, Aaron Gordon again proved his 3-point shooting is no fluke. A couple of days after Gordon scored 38 points against the Warriors, his most as a Nugget, on 4-of-6 shooting from 3-point range, Gordon went 5 of 9 against Los Angeles. He finished with a team-high 26 points and 11 rebounds despite not playing in the fourth quarter. Even though Gordon’s shooting better than 45% from 3-point range this season, teams are still going to dare him to beat them from deep in the playoffs. If the 29-year-old can do it as a top-two option against the Warriors and Lakers, he should be able to continue it when teams defend him like the third or fourth option.

3. The Nuggets may not feel the full weight of that loss until the final day of the regular season. The Lakers evened the season series, 2-2, on Wednesday. If the Nuggets and Lakers finish the regular season with the same record, the second tiebreaker goes to a team leading the division standings. Oklahoma City has already clinched the Northwest Division. The Lakers have a three-game lead over the Warriors and a four-game edge on the Clippers in the Pacific Division. If the Warriors or Clippers are able to do Denver a favor by surpassing the Lakers, the next tiebreaker comes down to record against conference opponents. The Nuggets are 27-16 against the West, while the Lakers are 30-13.

LAKERS 120, NUGGETS 108

What happened: Los Angeles sprinted out to a 17-point lead after the opening quarter, led by as many as 28 in the second before Denver made it a 73-59 game at halftime. Los Angeles got the advantage back to 28 points by the end of the third quarter and improved to 43-25, while Denver dropped to 44-26.

What went right: Christian Braun returned to Denver’s starting lineup. Braun missed Monday’s win at Golden State with left foot inflammation. Braun finished with 10 points, four rebounds and three assists in just under 28 minutes of playing time.

What went wrong: Of Denver’s 14 turnovers in the first half, 10 came in the second quarter. Four of those came in the first 90 seconds of the second. The Lakers finished the first half with 24 points off turnovers.

Highlight of the night: Another lob from Russell Westbrook to Christian Braun and Peyton Watson’s steal, coast-to-coast drive and slam were the best part of a 18-4 Nuggets run to close the second quarter.

Up next: Denver’s road trip continues Friday in Portland.