In a game between two teams missing multiple starters, the Los Angeles Lakers still had Luka Dončić. That ended up making a pretty big difference.
Behind 31 points from the superstar many believe Los Angeles shouldn’t have, the Lakers overwhelmed the Denver Nuggets 120-108 on Wednesday for their third straight win. They never trailed in the game and led by as many as 30 points.
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Dončić shot 10-of-21 from the field (4-of-9 from 3-point range) with nine rebounds, seven assists and six turnovers).
The Nuggets entered the game with few expectations after ruling out Nikola Jokić (elbow/ankle) and Jamal Murray (ankle), though the Lakers were still playing without LeBron James (groin), watching the game in a Columbus Blue Jackets jersey, and Rui Hachimura (knee).
Dončić more than picked up the slack for Los Angeles, dropping 21 points in a first quarter that ended with the Lakers up 46-29. There was also some trash talk.
The lead never fell below double digits until the final minute of the game, though Denver made it a bit of a game with a rally in the third quarter. The Crypto.com Arena crowd was cheering for Bronny James’ 21st NBA appearance by midway through the fourth quarter.
Aaron Gordon stepped up as the Nuggets’ top option without Jokić and Murray, posting 26 points and 11 rebounds, while Russell Westbrook had 12 points on 4-of-14 shooting and nine assists.
Despite the missing players, the game still counted the same in the standings, and it was a meaningful result. The 43-25 Lakers are now a game better than the 44-26 Nuggets in the loss column, and only two wins behind the second-place Houston Rockets (45-25). The Oklahoma City Thunder are still easily in first at 57-12, but the battle to face the West’s other play-in team is getting competitive.
The Lakers have now won three straight games, and could be considered a streaky team since picking up Dončić from the Dallas Mavericks. They won eight straight shortly after trading for him, then lost four straight after losing James, and now have the three-game streak, though those wins have been over non-playoff teams in the Phoenix Suns and San Antonio Spurs, and now a defanged Nuggets team.
They should get a stiffer test Thursday when they face the Milwaukee Bucks (7:30 p.m. PT).
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