Luka Doncic looked like himself again on Saturday night. The Los Angeles Lakers reaped the rewards, absolutely pummeling the Denver Nuggets in a dominant 123-100 victory.
This was as impressive of a win that the Lakers could have had. The Nuggets were on a tear heading into this matchup, having won nine games in a row. This was the same team who have bullied Los Angeles in recent seasons, existing almost exclusively to torture the Lakers, or so it felt. On top of that, the matchup against Nikola Jokic represented the biggest challenge that Los Angeles would have to scheme against with their underwhelming frontcourt rotation.
None of that mattered by the end of the night for the Lakers. Instead, Los Angeles won their first matchup in Denver since April of 2022.
Doncic-led offense delivers hope for immediate future
The first three games for Doncic in a Lakers jersey were underwhelming. One would be forgiven for feeling mildly concerned about the first impression that the Slovenian superstar was making.
Doncic averaged 14.7 points, 6.7 rebounds, 5.3 assists, and 4.0 turnovers per game, while shooting 35.6 percent from the field and a woeful 20.8 percent from behind the 3-point line. The even more disappointing aspect was the fact that Los Angeles was 1-2 in those games. This is why judging small sample sizes can be troublesome at times.
The overwhelming feeling should have always been to trust the player that Doncic has proven himself to be throughout his career. For the most part, everyone that was giving him the benefit of the doubt felt more than justified on Saturday.
Doncic poured in 32 points to lead all scorers in the matchup against the Nuggets. The 25-year-old also added 10 rebounds, seven assists, a whopping four steals, and one block to go with his scoring. The version of Doncic that everyone saw on Saturday was much more akin to the generational talent that everyone is used to.
"Just to win like that, it's an amazing win for us and gives me a lot of confidence moving forward," Doncic told ESPN's Dave McMenamin.
The offense for and around Doncic flowed much more seamlessly in this matchup. Perhaps it was the pregame advice from JJ Redick that allowed Luka to finally have his breakout performance.
JJ Redick says he told Luka Doncic that he wants him to have a “blackout episode” tonight where he “screams at no one in particular.”
— Jovan Buha (@jovanbuha) February 23, 2025
“That’s the Luka I know,” Redick said. “That’s the killer.”
The main takeaway from how great Doncic and the Lakers looked should be the hope that was offered for the rest of the 2024-25 campaign. Perhaps Los Angeles can figure this thing out on the fly and compete for something of substance this season. The Lakers superstar certainly thought so.
“Our goal is to win the championship," Doncic told The Athletic's Jovan Buha. "That’s our only goal. And I think we have the team for that.”
A statement win over a bona fide championship contender and major rival in the Western Conference certainly paints a pretty picture. The question is whether that work of art will involve the Larry O'Brien Trophy.
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