Saturday’s marquee clash between the Denver Nuggets and Los Angeles Lakers lived up to the hype and then some.
After a frantic play that forced overtime and back-and-forth clutch shot-making in the extra period, Luka Dončić stepped up when it mattered most, hitting his first game-winner as a Laker to send the NBA world into a frenzy.
Luka Dončić’s Overtime Game-Winner Sparks Frenzied Reactions
Looking to win their fifth straight game and claim a top-three seed in the Western Conference, the Lakers faced a tough task against one of their premier intraconference rivals, also vying for playoff positioning.
After blowing a 17-point lead, LA found itself trailing by three points with just two shots at the free-throw line with 5.2 seconds remaining. With no way to tie the game on the second attempt, Lakers star shooting guard Austin Reaves perfectly missed it off the front iron, corralled the rebound, and converted a floater to tie the contest at 118-118 and push it into overtime.
The sides proceeded to exchange big-time plays in the final minute. Nuggets forward Aaron Gordon drilled a step-back triple to put Denver ahead 123-122 with 46.0 seconds to go.
Lakers guard Marcus Smart then responded by converting a wide-open 3 to put LA in front 125-123 with 30.0 seconds on the clock.
After initially getting blocked by Lakers big man Deandre Ayton on the other end, Nuggets superstar center Nikola Jokić knotted up the game again at 125-125 via a driving layup with 15.1 seconds remaining.
This set the stage for Dončić to play hero by running down the clock, breaking a double-team and drifting to the baseline for a step-back jumper with just 0.5 seconds left to give LA a 127-125 edge. With not enough time for Denver to get a clean look off at the other end, the Lakers prevailed in dramatic fashion, to the acclaim of the NBA world.
“Luka followed up his first 50-point game as a Laker with his first game-winner as a Laker,” ESPN’s Dave McMenamin pointed out.
“That’s a hell of a win for the Lakers. What a fun game,” ESPN’s Tim Bontemps reacted.
“What a shot by Luka,” Nuggets analyst Ryan Blackburn gushed, also acknowledging that it was a “horrible loss” for Denver.
“Luka that step-back was FILTHY,” Yahoo Sports’ Kevin O’Connor asserted.
“LUKA DONČIĆ IS THE MVP,” prominent Lakers fan account LakeShowYo declared.
“Lakers-Nuggets has been pure insanity,” The Athletic’s Will Guillory chimed in.
With the thrilling two-point victory, the Lakers improved to 42-25, in sole possession of the third seed. Meanwhile, the Nuggets dropped to 41-27 (sixth in the West).
“It’s very big. Obviously, we still got a long way till playoffs. We gotta approach every game the same way, but this game was very big,” Dončić shared postgame after logging his second 30-point triple-double in the last three outings.
“We’re fighting with Denver in the standings. They’re a hell of a team, so I think that was a very big win for us.”
LA will look to extend its winning streak to six games during Monday’s similarly pivotal road clash against the West’s fourth-seeded Houston Rockets (41-25).
