Luka Doncic Gets Triple-Double, Lakers Rally in Second Half to Beat Nuggets
The first half wasn’t looking too hot, but the Lakers were able to outscore the Nuggets by 22 in the second half. Los Angeles came out with the 115-107 win to begin the team’s eight-game road trip on Tuesday night.
THE LAKERS WENT ON A 16-0 RUN TO PUT AWAY THE NUGGETS IN THE 4TH 🔥
The Lakers trailed by 16 in the 3rd 🤯 pic.twitter.com/B3JI0valmO
— Lakers All Day Everyday (@LADEig) January 21, 2026
Without the Lakers’ Austin Reaves and the Nuggets’ Nikola Jokic on the floor tonight, the contest looked a lot different than recent matchups between the two teams.
Luka Doncic picks up fifth triple-double of season
Luka Doncic put on another masterclass in the win, helping lead the Lakers on the offensive side of the ball.
The lead vote-getter for the All-Star Game picked up his fifth triple-double of the 2025-26 season, finishing with 38 points, 13 rebounds, and 10 assists while adding two steals.
His free-throw shooting has been shaky as of late, but he was able to get to the line consistently and knock down 11 of 12 from the line.
Deandre Ayton exits
Lakers center Deandre Ayton was on the verge of cracking the double-digit mark in rebounds before getting poked in the eye late in the second quarter of the win.
He exited and never returned for Los Angeles in the second half. Head coach JJ Redick said to Spectrum SportsNet after the game that Ayton currently “looks like a pirate.”
He added that he hopes that the big man’s eye will look better by tomorrow. Ayton finished the contest with four points and eight rebounds.
Marcus Smart shines in second-half comeback
After going scoreless in the first half, Marcus Smart found his groove early in the second. The first-year Laker had a clean outing, finishing with 15 points, two rebounds, and an assist while shooting 3-for-6 from three.
Outside of Smart, Doncic, and LeBron James (19 points, nine rebounds, eight assists), no other Laker was able to crack double-digit scoring in the game.
The Lakers will get a day’s worth of rest before traveling to the Intuit Dome to take on the Los Angeles Clippers (19-24) on Thursday.
