- Lakers secured ninth straight home win with a dominant start against Denver
- Luka Doncic led the charge with 31 points as Los Angeles climbed to third in the West
- Denver struggled without Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray, dropping to fourth place
Key Takeaways:
Los Angeles Lakers recorded their ninth consecutive home win, defeating the Denver Nuggets 120-108. Both teams were without key players, as the Lakers played without LeBron James, while the Nuggets missed Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray.
The hosts had a strong start, racing to a 33-16 lead within the first eight minutes. Luka Doncic was on fire early, scoring 20 points in that span and adding another before the end of the first quarter. The Lakers hit nine three-pointers in the opening 12 minutes, tying their season record.
Luka carries Lakers in blow out win vs. Nuggets 🔥
31 PTS
10-21 FG
9 REB
7 AST pic.twitter.com/SLMCXx1kFN— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) March 20, 2025
Denver managed to cut the deficit to 14 points by halftime (73-59), largely due to the efforts of Aaron Gordon. However, the Lakers came out strong in the third quarter, tightening their defense and limiting the Nuggets to just 18 points. Early in the final period, Los Angeles extended its lead to 30 points before both teams rotated their bench players, leading to the final 120-108 scoreline.
Doncic led the way for the Lakers with 31 points, while Austin Reaves contributed 28. Four other Lakers players also scored in double digits—Dorian Finney-Smith, Dalton Knecht, Gabe Vincent, and Jarred Vanderbilt. For Denver, Aaron Gordon finished with 26 points, while six of his teammates also recorded double figures.
With this victory, the Lakers moved up to third place in the Western Conference at 43-25, while the Nuggets dropped to fourth with a 44-26 record.