The Luka Doncic Lakers finally showed their full potential in win over the Nuggets

LeBron James scored 25 points, Luka Doncic added 32 and the Los Angeles Lakers trounced the Denver Nuggets on the road by 23 points Saturday, showing flashes of the title contender people thought they could be when they made a move to pair the two stars.

The win snapped a nine-game winning streak for the Nuggets, who entered the night as the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference. Now, they sit just two games ahead of the Lakers for No. 3, and if Saturday’s game was a sign of things to come, LA won’t be easy to shake. Not as long as Doncic is Doncic again, which he was against the Nuggets.

LUKA DONČIĆ DOMINATES SATURDAY PRIMETIME!

32 PTS (most as a Laker)
10 REB
7 AST
4 STL
W pic.twitter.com/V3MGNibQmJ

— NBA (@NBA) February 23, 2025

After averaging just 14.7 points through his first three games as a Laker — and the team going 1-2 — Doncic surpassed his previous high of 16 points in the first half alone. He hit 4-of-9 threes in the game and added 10 rebounds, seven assists and four steals.

Just as important, the Lakers held Nikola Jokic to 12 points on 2-of-7 shooting in 35 minutes. It was the type of confidence-building win the Lakers needed against a team like the Nuggets, who eliminated LA from each of the last two postseasons in a dominating way.

Luka Doncic scored more points in the first half vs. Denver than he has in any of his first three games as a Laker pic.twitter.com/2eDG1glziw

— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) February 23, 2025

For one night, though, the Lakers showed they might finally be on equal footing with Denver. The odds say so too. LA and Denver are tied at +1400 to win the NBA title at BetMGM, trailing only the Thunder in the Western Conference.

As long as the chemistry continues to improve, Doncic thinks the Lakers have a team capable of accomplishing that goal.

Luka Doncic: “I think our goal is – not I think, I know our goal is to win [the] championship. That’s our only goal. And I think we have the team for that.” pic.twitter.com/Z4JH8QlyX7

— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) February 23, 2025

“I think our goal is — not I think, I know our goal is to win [the] championship. That’s our only goal. And I think we have the team for that,” Doncic said Saturday.

If they weren’t in the conversation before swapping Anthony Davis for Doncic, they certainly are now.