BOULDER, Colo. (AP) — Jacque Vaughn’s point guard days at Kansas may be long gone, but he’s still collecting assists for the program.

Vaughn paced the sideline as he filled in for head coach Bill Self and guided the 19th-ranked Jayhawks to a 75-69 win over Colorado on Tuesday night.

Self didn't make the trip after going to the hospital on Monday because he was not feeling well. He was released after receiving IV fluids. Self has missed several games in recent seasons due to heart issues.

Their coach was on their mind.

“It was definitely win one for Coach Self, win one for Coach Vaughn, win one for the team as well,” explained Tre White, who had 17 points and 15 rebounds. “We definitely had an extra chip on our shoulder today.”

The win goes on Self's resume and, despite being at home, he improves to 22-1 in his career against the Buffaloes. Vaughn was just fine playing the acting coach role. He walked the sideline, alternating between folding his arms and gesturing.

“I told the guys that the best part of team sports is everyone has a part, and my part was to fill in for coach,” said Vaughn, a decorated point guard at Kansas from 1993-97 who had his jersey retired. "You do the best that you can. You do it in your way.”

His team responded to his instructions. The Jayhawks (14-5, 4-2 Big 12) clamped down, too, holding Colorado scoreless for a 3-minute stretch late in the game to earn their third straight win.

After the game, Vaughn said he received a text from Self.

“He definitely was watching,” Vaughn said. “We didn’t play as well as we could have or wanted to, but he’s excited that we got a ‘W.’”

Will Self be back on the sideline for the game at Kansas State on Saturday?

“I don’t know about the timeline,” Vaughn said. “I’ll do my part, whatever it is, but he’s excited and we look forward to seeing him when we get back.”

Vaughn returned to Kansas last May as an assistant. He brought a wealth of NBA head coaching experience after being in charge in Orlando and Brooklyn.

His team appreciated his demeanor on the sideline. The Jayhawks needed a late run — and some tight defense — to escape Boulder with a win.

“He's pretty calm,” said forward Flory Bidunga, who had four blocked shots and 11 points. “He has faith in us and trusts us. He told us we need to get the job done, told us we need to be who we are and nothing else.”

That sank in. Especially for Melvin Council Jr., who scored 10 of his 18 points in the final 5:07. Darryn Peterson also hit a pivotal banked-in 3-pointer down the stretch.

“We talked about, at the end of the day, can we leave this with an empty tank?" Vaughn said. “So that you leave everything on the floor for your teammates.”

A mantra straight out of Self's book.

Doncic has a triple-double as the Lakers rally past the short-handed Nuggets, 115-107

DENVER (AP) — Luka Doncic had 38 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists, and the Los Angeles Lakers rallied to beat the Denver Nuggets 115-107 on Tuesday night.

LeBron James, who was not voted an All-Star starter for the first time since his rookie season, scored 19 points for Los Angeles, which played the second half without center Deandre Ayton due to a left eye injury.

Jamal Murray scored 26 of his 28 points in the first half for Denver and added 11 assists, but shot just 1 for 5 in the second half.

With Denver Broncos cornerback Patrick Surtain II sitting courtside, the short-handed Nuggets led by 16 in the third quarter despite missing four rotation players, including Nikola Jokic, who has missed the last 12 games with a hyperextended left knee.

Aaron Gordon and Peyton Watson scored 18 apiece for the Nuggets.

A close game added to the budding rivalry that began in the 2023 Western Conference finals, when Denver swept the Lakers on its way to the NBA title.

It appeared the Nuggets would cruise to another win after jumping out to a 13-point lead in the first quarter and had a strong end to the second quarter.

Murray finished the first half with a 35-second flurry to give Denver a 71-57 lead. He fed Gordon for a lob dunk, assisted on Watson’s 3-pointer with 7.3 seconds left and then drained a 56-foot heave at the horn.

Murray missed both of his shots in the third quarter when Los Angeles outscored the Nuggets 29-17 to close within 88-86.

The Lakers tied it early in the fourth and took their first lead on two free throws by Doncic with 6:42 left during a 16-0 run that turned a two-point deficit into a 108-96 lead.

Up next

Lakers: Head back to Los Angeles for a road game at the Clippers on Thursday night.

Nuggets: Begin a three-game road trip at Washington on Thursday night.

Colorado State gets 33 points from 3 players, wins 81-52 against Air Force

FORT COLLINS, Colo. (AP) — Three players split 33 points for Colorado State in a 81-52 victory against Air Force on Tuesday.

Josh Pascarelli's 11 points came on 3-of-4 shooting from behind the arc. He added seven rebounds for the Rams (12-7, 3-5 Mountain West Conference). Jase Butler's 11 points came on 3 for 6 from beyond the arc. Brandon Rechsteiner had 11 points and shot 4 for 8, including 2 for 5 from beyond the arc. Nine different players scored seven points or more for the Rams.

Kam Sanders led the way for the Falcons (3-16, 0-8) with 11 points and two steals. Lucas Hobin added 10 points for Air Force. Eli Robinson had 10 rebounds and eight points. The loss is the 12th straight for the Falcons.

Colorado State took the lead for good less than two minutes into the first half. The score was 38-21 at halftime, with Butler racking up eight points. Colorado State pulled away with a 7-0 run in the second half to extend a 21-point lead to 28 points. They outscored Air Force by 12 points in the final half, as Rashaan Mbemba led the way with a team-high eight second-half points.

The Rams had 16 points off 14 turnovers from the Falcons, twice as many as the Falcons had off six Rams turnovers.