Luka Doncic scored the winning basket in overtime for the Los Angeles Lakers against the Denver Nuggets on Saturday. To reach overtime, the Lakers benefited from a key missed free throw by Austin Reaves.
With just 5.2 seconds left and the Lakers down by two points, Reaves intentionally missed his second free throw, retrieved the rebound, and made a floater to tie the game and send it into overtime. This play helped the Lakers secure their fifth consecutive win and gain an important edge over their Western Conference competitors.
Luka Doncic outperformed Nikola Jokic in a triple-double showdown
Doncic ended the game with 30 points, 11 rebounds, and 13 assists in the 127-125 victory, allowing the Lakers to win their season series against the Nuggets. This win gives the Lakers the tiebreaker for playoff seeding and a 1.5-game lead over the Nuggets, who had knocked them out of the playoffs in both 2023 and 2024.
Nikola Jokic, who has often been a key player against the Lakers, was contained by their defense on Saturday. He finished with 24 points, 16 rebounds, and 14 assists, but the Nuggets also needed contributions from Aaron Gordon (27 points) and Tim Hardaway Jr. (20 points) as All-Star Jamal Murray struggled, shooting just 1-for-14.
Despite Murray’s difficulties and Jokic’s double-team, Hardaway managed a three-pointer to put the Nuggets in the lead, thanks to a precise crosscourt pass from Jokic.