The Los Angeles Lakers had lost 11 of their last 12 games against the Denver Nuggets but momentarily changed their fortune with a 123-100 victory over them Saturday night in Denver.
Since the 2023 Western Conference Finals, Nikola Jokic dominated Anthony Davis, one of the best defensive players the league has ever seen. Saturday was the first time the Lakers and Nuggets faced off since the Luka Doncic trade happened, meaning Davis was not there to guard the three-time MVP.
It didn't matter as the Lakers won convincingly. Although they had recent struggles, losing to the 14th-seeded Utah Jazz and Charlotte Hornets, they're still building chemistry with a very promising and scary sign with their win over the Nuggets.
Subscribe to The Whiteboard, FanSided’s daily email newsletter on everything basketball. If you like The Whiteboard, share it with a friend! If you don’t like The Whiteboard, share it with an enemy!
Are the Lakers legit with Luka Doncic trade taking hold?
When the Lakers pulled off the trade, time was going to need to set in, for everyone to adjust to the trade. Doncic was visibly hurt and blindsided with trade, is coming off an injury, and now must figure out how to play with two ball-dominant players in Austin Reaves and LeBron James.
In Doncic first three games, the sloppiness of everything that he's going through shined has he put up 14.7 points, 6.7 rebounds, 5.3 assists, and four turnovers while shooting 35.6 percent from the field and 20.8 percent from 3-point range. His play is the reason they went 1-2 in those games.
Against Denver, Doncic reminded everyone why the Dallas Mavericks made the finals last season. He out 32 points, 10 rebounds, seven assists, four steals, and one block while going 10-for-22 from the field, 4-for-9 from deep, and 8-for-8 from the free throw line. He severely outplayed Jokic, who had a triple-double with 12 points, 13 rebounds, and 10 assists, but had six turnovers and took seven shots.
Doncic wasn't the only Laker that showed up. LeBron James had 25 points, nine rebounds, five assists and three blocks. Austin Reaves contributing 23 points, four rebounds, and seven assists and Rui Hachimura scored 21 points as well.
This game showed the entire Western Conference the Lakers are legit, and that, with Doncic, they can compete with Denver. Jokic is having one of the greatest seasons the league has ever seen, and Doncic is one of the few players who can match his level of production. In the same time frame that Nuggets have dominated the Lakers, Doncic is an even 4-4 against them.
With the Lakers losing most of their size, they have the star power and IQ to compete with anyone. The only team in the West that has given them problems is the Nuggets, but having a player who can match Jokic's production, along with another top 10 player, they have a chance to beat them in a seven-game series.