Luka Doncic looks like himself again in Lakers’ 123-100 win over Nuggets

Luka Doncic reminded NBA fans that he’s the same superstar who tormented Western Conference opponents en route to the NBA Finals last year. The Los Angeles Lakers‘ newly acquired superstar had his best night in the purple and gold on Saturday. He scored 32 points, grabbed 10 rebounds, and added seven assists and four steals.

Doncic had averaged 28.1 points per game, shooting 46.4% from the field across 22 games for the Dallas Mavericks, earlier this season. Since being sent to the Lakers in a mind-blowing blockbuster deal at the NBA trade deadline, he had averaged just 14.7 points per game while shooting 35.6% from the field across his first three games for the Lakers, who dropped two of those games to NBA bottom-feeders Utah Jazz and Charlotte Hornets.

Doncic then sat out the Lakers game against the Portland Trail Blazers on Thursday. His struggles ignited questions regarding Doncic’s overall fit with the Lakers, and more specifically, alongside fellow ball-dominant star LeBron James.

Did getting traded impact Luka Doncic’s ability? | First Things First

Nick Wright, Chris Broussard, and Greg Jennings discuss the Los Angeles Lakers losing to the Charlotte Hornets, and LeBron James talking the final shot instead of Luka Doncic. He says that Doncic was impacted by the trade from the Dallas Mavericks, and that his ability has been impacted.

Los Angeles’ 123-100 win over the Denver Nuggets at Ball Arena should help answer some of those concerns. James complemented Doncic’s performance, adding 25 points, nine rebounds and five assists. In 33 minutes, Doncic had a team-high plus-minus of 20.

Midway through the first quarter, Doncic had a stellar sequence. He pulled up for a 3-pointer five feet beyond the line, then blocked Nuggets guard Jamal Murray on a drive to the basket, spurring a fast break that ended in a Dorian Finney-Smith triple.

In the third quarter, Doncic hit a pair of step-back 3-pointers over the outstretched arm of Nuggets guard Christian Braun before jawing at the Denver crowd.

In a marquee matchup against the three-seed in the Western Conference, the Lakers showed the NBA their potential when both mega-stars are clicking.

Guard Austin Reaves scored 23 and forward Rui Hachimura had 21 when he left holding his left side with 10 minutes remaining — the Lakers didn’t miss him, going on a 12-2 run to stretch their lead to 19.

Aaron Gordon scored 24 points and Jamal Murray 19 for Denver, which lost for the first time this month. Nikola Jokic posted his 26th triple-double of the season, but he was just 2-of-7 from the floor with six turnovers.

The Lakers never trailed in winning in Denver for the first time since April 10, 2022. They had lost 13 of their previous 14 against the Nuggets.

The Lakers are 2-2 in games in which Doncic has played. They will host his former team, the Dallas Mavericks, on Tuesday night in Crypto.com Arena for the first time since the trade. That game kicks off a season-high six-game homestand that includes a rematch with the Nuggets and games against other playoff hopefuls such as the Minnesota Timberwolves, the Los Angeles Clippers and the New York Knicks.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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