Luka Doncic now knows what it means to be a Los Angeles Laker. He has made believers out of everyone in Lakerland for the way he has stepped up in LeBron James‘ injury-related absence — but there is more to it than that for the All-NBA guard.
Doncic — like most around the NBA — was blindsided when the Dallas Mavericks last month opted to trade him to the Lakers, rather than pony up more than $300 million for an offseason contract extension. The blockbuster trade left Doncic in a daze as he tried to learn how to play with James, but the latter’s injury has keyed Doncic’s best stretch as a Laker, and he left no doubt as to his greatness on Wednesday night.
Doncic: The fans helped us beat Denver
Doncic led the Lakers’ charge on Wednesday night in an important home win over the Denver Nuggets. Los Angeles scored 46 points in the opening quarter — and though the Nuggets hung around for a while, the Lakers eventually won, 120-108, with Doncic scoring a game-high 31 points in 32 minutes.
“I mean, you just feel from, feel the energy in the crowd,” Doncic told reporters at Crypto.com Arena. “You know, some crazy shots that I can hit. So when I hear one of those, I know the crowd goes crazy and just give energy. And I just, I don’t think just for me and for the whole team.”
As the Lakers’ lead swelled in the second half, Denver‘s star center Nikola Jokic was seen smarting on the Nuggets’ bench, seemingly in disbelief that Los Angeles had put the game to bed so early. Denver opted to rest Jokic on Wednesday as he recovers from nagging ankle and elbow injuries — a decision that could come back to bite the Nuggets, depending on the final playoff seeding and matchups in the Western Conference.
Following Wednesday’s game, the Nuggets (44-26) sit fourth in the West and would play the top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder if the season ended today. The Lakers (43-25) would face the second-seeded Houston Rockets, considered an “easier” matchup due to Houston‘s relative inexperience and Los Angeles’ star power.
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