Trips here basically had gone the same the last two seasons, with the Lakers showing signs they might have figured out ways to exploit the Nuggets’ deficiencies only for Denver to slam the door and run the same script.
Eight straight times, including five in the playoffs, the Lakers came to Denver and left with a loss, unable to knock out the Nuggets.
But the Lakers never were consistent quite like they were Saturday, so locked into a game plan that they played nearly error-free basketball. Never did the Lakers fluster Nikola Jokic like they did Saturday, forcing the three-time most valuable player into firing passes off of cutters’ knees or into the front row.
Read more: With Luka Doncic out, LeBron James and Austin Reaves lead Lakers past Portland
And the Lakers never had Luka Doncic during that streak.
In his fourth game since being acquired in a shocking trade for Anthony Davis, Doncic looked fully at home. Even after his first shot failed to hit anything, Doncic found his footing.
The Lakers controlled the Nuggets in a meaningful way during a 123-100 win, something they hadn’t achieved since the 2020 playoffs. Doncic scored 32 to go with 10 rebounds and seven assists as the Lakers halted both their eight-game skid in Denver and the Nuggets’ nine-game winning streak.
Doncic hit stepback threes. He zipped full-court passes. He tossed lobs. He snapped at referees, barked at fans and shook his head at Denver’s defensive efforts.
He dominated.
“He showed that fire, that energy, his passion,” forward Jarred Vanderbilt said. “You could see it come back out, and that’s what we’ve been missing. We’ve been preaching to him, play his game, ‘be you.’ And that’s what we love about the game and love about him, being able to come out here and show that passion and show that fire. And he had it going tonight.”
LeBron James, the recipient of one gorgeous pass from Doncic while streaking to the basket early and a lob later, scored 25 points. Austin Reaves had 23 points and Rui Hachimura scored 21 points. The passes to James, in particular, showed some of the possibilities that exist for the Lakers (34-21).
“It’s going to take some time, but you saw, even in the first game we had some of those,” Doncic said. “So I’m happy to get my first alley-oop with him.
“…Next time, he’s going to throw it to me.”
The Lakers’ defensive game plan was as impressive as the offensive onslaught, if not more. They forced 20 turnovers with Hachimura, James, Dorian Finney-Smith and Vanderbilt relentlessly denying Jokic the ball.
“In order for us to be successful, in order for us to win ultimately long-term, we have to trust our game plan,” James said. “We have to trust and be so dialed in on attention to detail. We have the personnel now that we can really lock in on a game plan… and be super strategic about how we want to execute offensively and defensively, and that was great to see tonight.”
Coach JJ Redick acknowledged he was extra excited about the challenge the Nuggets would present, knowing the Lakers had dropped 13 of their last 14 games against Denver.
Problem-solving is the part of coaching that appeals most to Redick, and Denver and Jokic have been the Lakers’ biggest problem the last two seasons. As part of his interview with the Lakers, Redick was asked to do a film breakdown of a Lakers-Nuggets game.
It’s clear the game meant a lot to Redick.
“I told the group this: There are certain moments throughout the season that you just get up for. And I pretty much haven’t slept since we walked off the court [Thursday] in Portland,” Redick said. “And I just spent a lot of time on this game. Our staff spent a lot of time in this game. I envisioned our guys playing hard. They played harder than I could have envisioned. They battled tonight. And those are the two things that stood out.”
Jokic shot only seven times, tying his season low for attempts. He finished with 13 rebounds and 12 points for Denver (37-20).
The Lakers funneled shots to Russell Westbrook and Aaron Gordon, and even when both players made them, the Lakers stayed committed to their plan.
“That was elite,” Vanderbilt said. “We talk about putting it together for 48 minutes, as far as sticking to the game plan and even when the game plan didn’t go our way, like when Gordon and Russ hit a couple, they hit some shots, and we didn’t steer away from the game plan.”
The Lakers trail Denver by just one game in the loss column for third in the West.
“I [can’t] remember when was the last time I won here,” Doncic said. “It’s very tough to play here against that team. Just to win like that, it’s an amazing win for us and gives me a lot of confidence moving forward.”
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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
