The Los Angeles Lakers tied the regular season series against the Denver Nuggets to 2-2 after their 120-108 win on Wednesday. The Lakers, who are still without LeBron James due to a groin injury, relied on the offensive masterclass of Luka Doncic to capture the win. Doncic had everyone up in their seats early in the game as he dominated with a 21-point first quarter.
With three rebounds, three assists, a steal, and a block, the Slovenian wonder shot seven out of ten from the field. With an incredible effort, Doncic enjoyed the best first quarter of his Lakers career. The 6-foot-6 guard had seven assists, nine rebounds, two steals, and 31 points at the end of the game. The five-time All-Star made 44.4% of his long-range shots.
With their win against the Nuggets, the Lakers have protected their home floor for nine straight games. After the game, Doncic spoke about how having the fans’ energy helps the team perform better at home.
“It’s always easy to play at home, I think. You got the crowd, you get home here, so it’s kinda easier to play at home,” Doncic said.
“You just feel the energy in the crowd. Some crazy shots that I can hit. When I hit one of those the crowd goes crazy and just gives energy. And I don’t think [it’s] just for me, and for the whole team [also].”
"You just feel the energy… when I hit one of those the crowd goes crazy."
Luka Dončić speaks with the media after the Lakers 120-108 win over the Denver Nuggets. #LakeShow pic.twitter.com/yXhfvtNhhr
— Spectrum SportsNet (@SpectrumSN) March 20, 2025
Los Angeles’ next task is to keep their winning streak alive. Their next game is on Thursday against the Milwaukee Bucks. In their previous game, the Bucks outperformed the Lakers and protected the Fiserv Forum with a 126-106 win.
While Doncic’s first quarter was impressive, the Lakers had other contributors throughout the game. Austin Reaves had 22 points, five rebounds, eight assists and two steals against Denver.
Fans react to the Los Angeles Lakers star’s 21-point first quarter
Fans were energized by how the Los Angeles Lakers star led the team, especially in the first quarter. Doncic went as far as to lead the team to a 14-2 lead in the first quarter and a 53-29 lead to start the second quarter.
With his performance, fans couldn’t help but get excited with how he led the team.
“Mavs really woke up Luka 2.0,” a fan said.
“Nico harrison trades young superstar for old injured superstar. Basketball genius,” another fan said.
“Single handedly outscoring the Nuggets 🔥🔥🔥🔥” one fan commented.
Single handedly outscoring the Nuggets 🔥🔥🔥🔥
— InvestorX (@Investor_x1) March 20, 2025
“Nico done f***ed up. Resign you moron”
“Yea this man is not human”
“He fr putting the team on his back while Bron is out”
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Follow me on X at @BarbecueBro, and follow us at @HardwoodHeroics and @GridironHeroics. You can also reach out to Reign Amurao via email at reignamuraonba@gmail.com. To read more of our articles and keep up to date on the latest sports news, click here!
Reign also writes NBA and WNBA news updates on Sportskeeda. He started as a feature writer for AirAlamo, an NBA website that covers the San Antonio Spurs. Some of his work can also be seen on Valley of the Suns, a Phoenix Suns-centric website, where he served as a contributing writer.
