The Los Angeles Lakers have struggled against Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets. They were bounced in the playoffs by Denver two straight years and had lost five consecutive regular-season meetings coming into Saturday’s showdown. Jokic is a perennial MVP candidate, but the Lakers have a new counterpunch in Luka Doncic that changed the dynamic.
Number 77 has been first-team All-NBA for five straight years and is one of the best players on the planet. Doncic continues to raise his game on the biggest stages and immediately gave the Nuggets fits in the primetime ABC showdown on Feb. 22.
Luka and Jokic are close friends, so it was no surprise that the newest Lakers superstar had a bit of extra juice. LA fans got to see his first headlining performance as Doncic completely changed the dynamic between these two teams.
Luka Doncic had 16 in 1st quarter to help the Lakers dominate Nuggets
In his first three games with the Lakers, Luka played more off the ball than ever and was still trying to find his place. He was coming off a six-week layoff because of a strained calf and the shock of being traded. It took him a minute to adjust, but fans finally saw the best of Luka on Saturday night.
He had three assists in the first four minutes before taking over midway through the period. It started with two free throws and quickly turned into a 16-point quarter, which matched his highest scoring output in his first three games as a Laker.
Luka helped them produce 38 points in the opening stanza and take a seven-point edge. The Lakers never looked back en route to a 123-100 win over a franchise that had defeated them in 13 of the last 14 meetings.
Doncic did not stop with his first-quarter outburst. He finished with 32 points, ten rebounds, seven assists, four steals, and one block in 31 minutes of action. He was ten of 22 from the floor and made four 3-pointers. The Lakers outscored Denver by 20 in Luka’s minutes, and the 25-year-old had just one turnover. It was a masterful performance by number 77 that should put the rest of the NBA on notice.
The Lakers are a different team with Luka Doncic. He has long been a thorn in Jokic and the Nuggets side. His ability to create off the dribble and get his teammates involved causes issues for Denver. Aaron Gordon is often the primary defender on Doncic, but it is a difficult matchup for even the best.
Doncic led the NBA in scoring last season and helped the Mavericks reach the NBA Finals. The Nuggets have a host of new issues to worry about if these two sides match up in the playoffs for the third year in a row.
The Los Angeles Lakers moved into fourth in the Western Conference with Saturday’s win, but more importantly, finally saw the superstar version of Luka. This trade was a massive win and gives the franchise championship hopes again. The Lakers are already dreaming of their next superstar addition to pair with Luka and how he can lead them for the next decade-plus. Stay tuned because the best is yet to come.
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