The Los Angeles Lakers and Denver Nuggets have forged a rivalry through their playoff matchups, but the showdowns have been one-sided.
Denver has won 13 of the last 14 meetings dating to January of 2023, including the last five in the regular season, and the Nuggets will try to extend that streak Saturday night when they host Los Angeles.
The Lakers have a new weapon to try to stop their slide against Denver. Saturday night likely will be Luka Doncic’s first game against the Nuggets since he was traded from Dallas on Feb. 2. Doncic has played in three games since coming to Los Angeles but sat out a 110-102 win at Portland on Thursday night.
Doncic is expected to play in the second meeting between the teams this season. Denver won the first game 127-102 on Nov. 23, but the Lakers are a different team now.
Since a home loss to San Antonio on Jan. 13, they have won 13 of 17 and moved within three games of the Nuggets, who currently hold the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference and have won nine straight games.
Even with Doncic on the roster, LeBron James is the catalyst for Los Angeles. He scored 40 points in the win over the Trail Blazers, becoming the first player in NBA history to score 40 or more points twice after turning 40.
“I still love the game, and I still got a lot to give to the game, to give to my teammates, to give to this league for while I’m here,” James said. “I don’t have much time left. So while I’m here today in this time, I’m going to try to give what I got when I’m out on the floor.”
James leads the Lakers at 24.7 points a game, followed by Austin Reaves (19.1). Doncic is averaging 14.7 points in his three games with Los Angeles and 26.5 in 25 total games this season.
Doncic has bolstered the Los Angeles backcourt, but dealing Anthony Davis to the Mavericks leaves the Lakers vulnerable against big men, and Denver has the best in the league in Nikola Jokic.
Jokic leads the Nuggets in scoring (29.7 points), rebounding (12.7) and assists (10.2), which are all top three in the NBA.
Jamal Murray is second on the Nuggets in scoring at 21.3 points a game, Michael Porter Jr. is third at 18.7, and Christian Braun is averaging 14.9.
Murray’s scoring is up over the last 10 games, after a career-high 55 points against Portland on Feb. 12 and is averaging 27.8 in nine games since Jan. 29. His strong play is one reason Denver is in search of its first 10-game winning streak in coach Michael Malone’s tenure.
The streak has catapulted the Nuggets to near the top of the Western Conference with 26 games remaining.
“No matter who you play in the West, man, it’s going to be a dogfight,” Malone said. “Think about the teams that are outside the play-in right now. … There’s no, like, âLet’s get this seed so we can play this team.’ OK. Careful what you wish for.”
