Patryk Stachowiak
The first time chants of “Let’s go, La-kers” echoed around Ball Arena, Denver’s normally raucous home crowd drowned them out with boos. By the final buzzer, there weren’t enough Nuggets fans left to do the same.
The Lakers erased a 16-point third-quarter deficit to claim one of their most impressive wins of the season, knocking off the Denver Nuggets 115-107 on Tuesday night. Luka Dončić led the charge with his fifth triple-double of the campaign, finishing with 38 points, 13 rebounds, and 10 assists, while LeBron James added 19 points, nine rebounds, and eight assists.
Los Angeles had to dig deep after losing center Deandre Ayton to a left eye injury in the second quarter, but the response was emphatic. The Lakers limited Denver to just 36 second-half points, flipping the script with defensive intensity and collective execution.
Marcus Smart ignited the decisive moment of the night, spearheading a devastating 16-0 run in the fourth quarter. Smart scored 11 of his 15 points during a six-and-a-half-minute stretch that completely swung momentum and effectively sealed the contest.
“Just contributions from everybody,” head coach JJ Redick said postgame. He highlighted the second-half impact of Jaxson Hayes (nine points, five rebounds), nine bench points from Drew Timme, and relentless defensive energy from Jarred Vanderbilt. “It was a great team win.”
Redick expressed optimism that Ayton’s injury was precautionary and that the center could return in time for Thursday’s matchup against the Clippers at Intuit Dome.
At 26-16, the Lakers are steadily trending toward full health. Guard Austin Reaves continues to make progress in his recovery from a calf injury, with Redick noting before tip-off that things are “progressing well.” Reaves could return during the Lakers’ ongoing eight-game road trip, which runs through Feb. 3.
Reaves, who aggravated the injury on Christmas Day, joined the team on the road for the first time since going down, fitting seamlessly into the bench unit — dressed head-to-toe in black alongside the coaching staff.
Denver, meanwhile, remained short-handed. Nikola Jokic, the three-time MVP, watched from the bench in a forest green suit as he continues to recover from a knee injury that has sidelined him since Dec. 30.
The Nuggets were also without three members of their season-opening starting lineup. Christian Braun has been out since Nov. 12 with an ankle injury, Cameron Johnson missed his 15th straight game due to a knee issue, and backup center Jonas Valančiūnas sat for an 11th consecutive contest because of a calf strain.
Despite the absences, Denver controlled the first half. A 14-3 run to close the second quarter built a 14-point lead, punctuated by a remarkable three-quarter-court buzzer-beater from Jamal Murray. The chaotic sequence followed Dončić’s 13th technical foul of the season and an 8-0 Nuggets surge.
For a Lakers team that had dropped five of its previous seven games and was opening a demanding road stretch with the trade deadline looming, the moment could have been deflating.
Instead, Dončić reminded everyone why he led the league in All-Star voting.
After pouring in 16 points on a perfect 6-of-6 shooting in the first quarter, Dončić shifted gears. He scored nine points and dished out four assists in the third quarter alone, orchestrating a comeback that saw the Lakers trim a 16-point hole down to just two entering the fourth. He either scored or assisted on 11 straight unanswered Lakers points.
“It showed the character of our team,” Dončić said. “We just stayed together.”
The Lakers weathered Denver’s early barrage of nine first-quarter three-pointers and recommitted defensively, executing a game plan designed to blitz Murray, who had 26 points in the first half.
“Luka, you can’t turn the engine halfway with him,” Redick said. “Once the engine’s on, he’s in kill mode. And it’s on me and on him to make sure everybody else is involved. He’s done a phenomenal job of that the last couple of weeks.”
After Dončić’s third-quarter takeover, James took control, scoring five straight points late in the period. He opened the fourth by assisting on Timme’s basket to tie the game at 88-88. The Lakers outscored Denver by 20 points with James on the floor in the second half, a sharp contrast to his seven-point, four-turnover first half.
While Dončić is set to return to the All-Star spotlight next month at Intuit Dome, James was not named a starter for the first time in 22 years. He’ll need a coaches’ vote or a special selection from commissioner Adam Silver to earn what would be his 22nd All-Star appearance.
“Given the missed games early, I wasn’t surprised,” Redick said, referencing James missing the first 14 games with sciatica. “I believe he’ll be in the All-Star game.”
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