LA Lakers overpower Nuggets with Luka Dončić’s spectacular performance

In the meeting between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Denver Nuggets, the Lakers won 120:108, although both teams had to deal with the absence of their key players. On the home side, LeBron James did not play due to injury, while Denver was without Nikola Jokić and Jamal Murray, which certainly affected the dynamics of the match.

Luka Dončić 

Although the match started with a lot of absences, one player looked quite amazing; Luka Dončić. The Slovenian scored 31 points, with 9 rebounds and 7 assists. Dončić took the lead from the very beginning, especially in the first quarter in which the Lakers dominated with a high score of 46:29. In those 12 minutes, Luka scored 21 points, with 3 rebounds and 3 assists. His accuracy from the field was at a high level ; 7 of 11 shooting, including 3 of 5 three-pointers, which is certainly impressive.

When the game was under the control of the Lakers, the advantage grew to 30 points at the beginning of the fourth quarter, which allowed Dončić to spend the rest of the game on the bench, conserving his strength for the next challenges. This victory allowed the Lakers to take third place in the Western Conference, with a small gap in relation to Denver.

Austin Reaves, who also had a good game, added 22 points, while Dorian Finney-Smith scored 14. This triumphant result significantly contributes to the self-confidence of the Lakers, who continue their winning streak.

Denver is struggling without its leaders

On the Denver side, Aaron Gordon tried to lead his team, scoring 26 points and 11 rebounds, but it just wasn't enough without Jokic and Murray. Dario Šarić also did not perform, which further weakened the Nuggets.

Even though they were without LeBron, they showed that they can win even when they are not at full strength. Given their current form, they could be a serious contender in the upcoming games and the Playoffs.

It is noticeable that there are many quality individuals in the team, as well as leaders who can turn things in the team's favor in a short period of time. The Slovenian national team player seems to be attracting the most attention, and there are huge expectations from him in the future, there is no doubt about that!