Luka Doncic hit a baseline jumper with 0.5 seconds left to lift the host Los Angeles Lakers to a 127-125 overtime victory over the Denver Nuggets on Saturday night.
Luka Doncic finished the game with 30 points, 13 assists and 11 rebounds, recording his 11th triple-double of the season and the first game-winning shot of his career in a Lakers uniform.
As for the individual performances, Austin Reaves led the Lakers with 32 points, while Marcus Smart added 21 points. LeBron James scored 17, and Deandre Ayton finished with nine points and nine rebounds.
On the other side, Aaron Gordon had 27 points, while Nikola Jokic recorded 24 points along with 16 rebounds, 14 assists, and as many as six steals. Tim Hardaway Jr. scored 20, Johnson added 18, while Bruce Brown and Christian Braun finished with 12 each. Jamal Murray had a very difficult night with just five points while shooting 1/14 from the field.
With their fifth consecutive victory, the Los Angeles Lakers also secured the season series against the Denver Nuggets.
“I just saw the double coming, so I went to my left hand, to my left step back. I did that a couple of times throughout my career, so I just trusted the shot,” explained Luka Doncic after the game.
Claim Now LeBron James had nothing but praise for his teammate.
“Just a big-time shot by a fu*king generational player. We wanted the last shot. We wanted to put the ball in our guy’s hands. So it’s going to be just the first of many game winners like that for him and in a Lakers uniform.”
Luka Doncic also praised the atmosphere at Crypto.com Arena.
“I felt like it was the best atmosphere since I have been a Laker. The whole crowd was into the game and it was so special to witness that. Hopefully it happens many more times, but I had goosebumps a little bit. It was amazing to see and to live that moment.”
With this win, the Lakers moved up to fourth place in the Western Conference, overtaking Denver. If these two teams were to meet in the playoffs, the team from Los Angeles would have home-court advantage. Still, the goal for both teams remains the same: finishing third in order to avoid Oklahoma City in the second round.
