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Luka Dončić has officially arrived for the Los Angeles Lakers.
After a few slow games, Los Angeles got its first performance befitting all the hype that came with the former Dallas Mavericks star in a 123-100 win over the Denver Nuggets on Saturday. Dončić finished with 32 points on 10-of-22 shooting, 10 rebounds, seven assists and four steals.
“Finally felt like myself a little bit, so that’s why I was smiling the whole game,” Dončić told ESPN after the game.
He got 16 of those points in the first quarter, showing off the long-range, heat-check shots he was known for making in Dallas at an unnatural rate.
He also still had his playmaking acumen, finding LeBron James on a long outlet pass for an easy bucket.
It was a big night for the Lakers in general, as Dončić was one of four 20-point scorers alongside James, Austin Reaves and Rui Hachimura. On the defensive end, they did everything they could to limit opportunities for Nikola Jokić in the paint, and the result was only 12 points on 2-of-7 shooting for the three-time MVP, as well as 13 rebounds, 10 assists and six turnovers.
The Lakers never trailed in the game and led by as many as 26 points. Given how they have performed against the Nuggets in the past few years, that’s significant.
Entering Saturday, Dončić’s time with the Lakers hadn’t been an immediate success, though it’s also not like there should have been any significant concerns about this. He didn’t make his Lakers debut until a week after his trade from the Mavericks because he was still sidelined with a calf strain, and also missed the second leg of a back-to-back as part of the recovery process.
In the three games he did play, he averaged 14.7 points per game on .356 shooting (.208 from deep) plus 6.7 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 4.0 turnovers per game. Those numbers were all markedly worse than his Dallas days, but he was also a player coming off an injury, playing in an entirely new system as a typically ball-dominant player.
James and the Lakers weren’t worried, via the Associated Press:
“It’s his third game since Christmas, and it’s his third game with us,” James said. “He still doesn’t know all the plays. He doesn’t know all the defensive coverages, all the signals and things that we’ve built up since September. Obviously, we’re trying to fast-track it on the fly. He’s coming back from his injury. He’s getting back into form, so we’re working through it together.”
There was little reason not to expect Dončić to find his groove, and Saturday was the first step. He’s also still outperforming Anthony Davis, who hasn’t played since his Mavericks debut due to a adductor injury.
The win improved the Laker’s record to 34-21, good for fifth place in the Western Conference and a half-game back from the fourth-place Houston Rockets. It was tough letting Davis go after winning a championship with him in 2020, but the trade has massively improved their title odds, from +4000 before the trade to +1400 entering Saturday.
If Dončić replicates his success Saturday on a regular basis, those odds will only go up.
A dominant Luka Dončić game leads Lakers to win over Nuggets
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The Lakers beat the Nuggets behind a huge performance from Luka Dončić.
The Lakers grab their best win of the season, beating the Denver Nuggets 123-100, behind an incredible Luka Dončić performance.
Luka scored 16 of his 32 points in the first quarter. He also had seven assists, grabbed 10 rebounds, four steals and a block.
LeBron James scored 25 points to go with his nine rebounds, five assists, a steal and three blocks. Austin Reaves pitched in with 23 points, four rebounds, seven assists and a block.
Rui Hachimura ended with 21 points and four assists. Jordan Goodwin continued his great play off the bench with five points in the fourth quarter.
We all know Carmelo Anthony as a “pure scorer.” Whether you mean that as a compliment or an insult is up to you, but it helps to understand how he arrived at that reputation — how he won big everywhere *but* the NBA, and how he saved both a college program and a struggling NBA franchise along the way. Let’s meet the prior versions of Melo in the Prism.
The Lakers went on a quick 6-0 run to start this game. Luka connected with LeBron for a dunk. Jaxson Hayes got a few easy looks as the team kept feeding him in the paint. Aaron Gordon was cooking early for the Nuggets with two 3-pointers.
At the 6:44 mark, Nikola Jokić had still not attempted a field goal.
As soon as both teams started making shots, the pace of the game sped up. At the first timeout, L.A. was up by one.
Austin connected with Luka who threw up a floater for his first points of the game. Luka and Dorian Finney-Smith both knocked down 3-pointers to extend L.A.’s lead to eight.
This was the best start for Luka in the handful of games he has been a Laker. He was all over the place, looking like the Luka we are used to seeing. Step back threes, layups, assists and more.
Jarred Vanderbilt’s impact was felt instantly as he came in and had two quick steals. Luka drained another 3-pointer. The Lakers were suffocating the Nuggets with their defense, making them fumble the ball and miss shots. But in true form, Los Angeles let Denver start inching closer.
At the end of the first, the purple and gold were up six.
Michael Porter Jr. scored first for Denver in the second quarter. Los Angeles’ first points came from free throws. Austin threw an alley-oop to LeBron for an emphatic dunk. The Lakers extended their lead to double digits.
Former Laker Russell Westbrook struggled offensively but did drain a 3-pointer.
Austin had an impressive block on Jamal Murray while he was attempting a 3-pointer. Denver once again crept back into it, making it a six-point game, then Austin drained a 3-pointer. LeBron and Dalton Knecht followed that up with two excellent blocks in a row.
The foul calls were all over the place for both teams. A lot of physicality between the teams as they were both playing hard. Although much of the momentum favored the Lakers, the Nuggets were still in the game.
Rui was up to nine first-half points after a dunk on the assist from LeBron. Luka stole the ball and passed it to LeBron for a layup, causing the Nuggets to call timeout.
LeBron knocked down his first three of the game with two minutes left until the end of the half.
Jamal drained two 3-pointers in a row. Luka once again found LeBron with an alley-oop for a dunk. Luka then drained another 3-pointer.
At halftime, Los Angeles was up nine. Luka was assessed a technical foul while walking off the court.
The second half began with what we are familiar with: Denver starting to play better and making it an even closer game. It had become a one-point game and the Lakers responded with six quick points. Rui scored five straight points. Luka drained another step-back 3-pointer, adding to a 10-0 run for L.A.
Luka was cooking, scoring a shot off the glass. Austin threw up a floater as the shot clock was expiring and nailed it. Aaron knocked down another 3-pointer for the Nuggets, and then Jamal also drained one himself. Rui knocked down another 3-pointer adding to his 18 points.
Three-pointers were flying all over the place with both teams making their attempts. Rui hit another 3-pointer. Jamal answered with one and on the other end Austin answered back with another, pushing L.A.’s lead to double digits.
Austin was up to 20 points after a layup off the glass. Russell was cooking for the Nuggets, scoring 10 points in this quarter. At the end of the third, the Lakers were up nine.
Gabe Vincent’s defense helped the Nuggets turn the ball over to start the final frame. Julian Strawther got his fifth foul. Russell missed two free throws after being fouled by Vando. The Lakers turned the ball over for just the seventh time after they couldn’t get a shot off.
LeBron converted on a fastbreak layup, taking it to the basket himself. Rui went straight to the locker room, holding his side in pain. The Lakers were still in control of the game, despite the Nuggets being able to keep it close.
Gabe’s first three of the game happened in this quarter. Jordan scored five points off the bench helping grow L.A.’s big lead. Austin drained another 3-pointer. The Lakers made Nikola’s night miserable, he was turning the ball over and just couldn’t get it going like he normally does.
With four minutes to go, Luka continued to give the Nuggets the business and Coach Malone emptied the bench.
Who’s your daddy now Denver?
The Lakers’ next game will be Luka Dončić’s first game against his former team, the Dallas Mavericks, on Tuesday at 7:00 PM PT.
You can follow Karin on Twitter at @KarinAbcarians.
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