Luka Doncic's 32-point night helps Lakers finally win in Denver - ESPN

DENVER — It took Luka Doncic only one quarter Saturday to match his highest scoring output from his first three games with the Los Angeles Lakers, tallying 16 points while L.A. built an early lead on the Denver Nuggets.

He kept rolling from there — and so did the Lakers — as Doncic finished with a game-high 32 points in a 123-100 win that gave L.A. its first victory in Denver in nearly three years.

«It's very tough to play here against that team,» said Doncic, who added 10 rebounds, seven assists and four steals in his fourth game with L.A. since being traded earlier this month. «Just to win like that, it's an amazing win for us and gives me a lot of confidence moving forward.»

The Lakers ended the Nuggets' nine-game winning streak and also snapped an eight-game skid at Ball Arena. The last time L.A. beat the Nuggets in a regular-season contest on Denver's home floor was April 10, 2022.

Lakers coach JJ Redick challenged Doncic before the game to get so wrapped up in the competition that he has a «blackout episode» where he starts yelling indiscriminately in the heat of battle.

That happened several times Saturday.

«He was super dialed in,» LeBron James said of Doncic. «He was very locked in on what he wanted to do out here on the floor tonight. Once he started hitting those step-back 3s and got to yelling and barking, either at the fans or at us, or himself.»

Doncic had averaged 14.7 points on 35.6% shooting (20.8% from 3) through his first three games with the Lakers while slowly integrating into the lineup after a left calf injury had kept him sidelined since Christmas with the Dallas Mavericks.

Saturday night, Doncic led L.A. in shot attempts, going 10-for-22 from the field, and was tied for the lead in assists.

James