Lakers throttle shorthanded Nuggets
Lakers fans were gifted another matchup against the rival Denver Nuggets tonight. Since Luka has come to town, it seems as if Los Angeles has had the Nuggets’ number.
Even in their last matchup in Denver, the Nuggets barely escaped with a win against a Lakers team that was missing Luka, LeBron, Hachimura, Finney-Smith, and Vincent. It took a Jamal Murray three with seconds left to beat that team.
The Lakers led 126-123 with under a minute remaining….
They lost 131-126. 💔
Regardless, I couldn’t be any prouder of the fight & resilience they showed tonight. One of the more inspiring performances of the season. 💯 pic.twitter.com/D7CKn3mPGU
— Lakers All Day Everyday (@LADEig) March 15, 2025
Tonight, the Lakers got their get-back. The game lacked its usual luster with the absence of some major players.
Not your Usual Lakers vs Nuggets
Typically, when these two teams match up, we get to see two, now three, all world-level talents. Tonight, as previously mentioned, the lack of those talents gave the game a much different feel. Los Angeles was without LeBron James, while the Nuggets were without Nikola Jokic.
The Lakers were also without Rui Hachimura, and the Nuggets were without Jamal Murray, but I wouldn’t classify them as all-world.
The Lakers performed tonight, and I’m sure Denver fans wish their team would have played against the depleted Los Angeles team that strolled into Ball Arena. A significant reason for the wire-to-wire domination was Luka Doncic.
Luka Madness
The more comfortable Luka has gotten in LA, the more we’ve seen of his first-quarter scoring outbursts. Tonight was an absolute masterpiece. From the second the game started, everything looked as if it was moving in slow motion for Doncic.
Luka completed the first quarter with a whopping 21 points. That puts his first-quarter scoring average over the last four games at an astounding 15.5 PP1Q.
LUKA DONCIC IS THE NUGGETS WORST NIGHTMARE 😳
THIS IS IN THE FIRST QUARTER. pic.twitter.com/ugm8yc54gC
— Lakers All Day Everyday (@LADEig) March 20, 2025
Luka’s quick start established an early lead that the Nuggets simply were not able to recover from. Even throughout the runs, the existing lead, mixed with Luka’s continued dominance, kept the Nuggets at bay for the full 48 minutes.
Ultimately, Luka finished the game with 31 points, nine rebounds, seven assists, and two steals.
Playoff seeding
Tonight’s win was massive for Los Angeles. As the season dwindles down, the playoff picture is quickly becoming more and more real, and the Western Conference just so happens to be incredibly packed outside of OKC.
By winning tonight, not only did the Lakers leapfrog the Nuggets to slide into the 3-seed, but they also picked up another conference win, which would play into any tiebreakers they may have with other Western Conference opponents.
Technically, the first tiebreaker would be the divisional record, but with OKC so far ahead of Denver, it would come down to conference win percentage. Securing the 2-seed would be massive not only for home-court advantage, but Los Angeles wouldn’t have to see OKC until the WCF.
At the end of the day, it really doesn’t matter what seed they finish with. 2-seed, 4-seed, Johnny Appleseed, Lakers in five.
