On February 23, Beijing time, the Lakers defeated the Nuggets 123-100 away, ending the opponent's nine-game winning streak. Doncic played his best game since joining the Lakers, shooting 10-of-22, 4-of-9 from three-point range, 8-of-8 from the free-throw line, contributing 32 points, 10 rebounds and 7 assists, and setting a new Lakers career high in individual scoring. The Lakers scored 20+ points with 4 players, James scored 25 points, 9 rebounds and 5 assists, and staged many violent dunks, Reaves scored 23 points, Hachimura scored 21 points, and returned to the locker room with an injury in the final quarter. The Lakers led by nine points at halftime, widening the gap in the final quarter to win the game, while the Nuggets never led in the game. Jokic had 12 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists and scored his 156th career triple-double.

Statistics

Lakers: Doncic 32 points, 10 rebounds, 7 assists and 4 steals, James 25 points, 9 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 blocks, Reaves 23 points, 4 rebounds and 7 assists, Hachimura 21 points and 4 assists, Hayes 4 points and 4 rebounds, Goodwin 5 points, Finney-Smith 3 points, 4 rebounds and 2 steals, Knecht 4 points

Nuggets: Jokic 12 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists, Gordon 24 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists, Murray 19 points, 3 rebounds and 6 assists, Westbrook 17 points and 4 rebounds, Porter 13 points and 8 rebounds, Braun 10 points, 3 rebounds and 3 assists

The star of the game

Doncic swept away the previous gloom and played the performance that a superstar should have, helping the Lakers beat the Nuggets.

Game recap

In the first quarter, Hachimura scored a layup, James dunked, and the Lakers started the game 6-0. Murray and Gordon hit three points in a row, and the Nuggets tied the score. Doncic found his touch, scoring seven straight points on a free throw, and Finney-Smith hit a three-pointer. Wei Shao scored a layup, the Lakers were more offensive, and Doncic scored seven more points in a row, and the Lakers led by 14 points. After Doncic was replaced, Jokic made consecutive free throws, and Braun hit a three-pointer to close the gap. At the end of the first quarter, the Lakers led the Nuggets 38-31, and Doncic had 16 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists in a single quarter.

In the second quarter, Porter hit a mid-range shot, and Hachimura and Knecht scored consecutive free throws. James dunked in the air, and Willis hit a three-point shot. James scored on a fast break, Gordon dunked in a row, Hachimura dunked back, Doncic made a steal and assisted James to score on the counterattack, and then, James hit another three-pointer to stretch the gap to 12 points. Murray hit two three-pointers in a row, Doncic assisted James on a dunk, and then hit a step-back three-pointer. At halftime, Doncic was dissatisfied with the free throw and received a technical foul, and the Lakers led the Nuggets 63-54 at halftime.

At the end of the first half, the Lakers scored in double figures, Doncic had 19 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists, James 15 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists, and Reaves 10 points, 4 rebounds and 2 assists. The Nuggets also scored in double figures for three people, with Gordon 14 points, 3 rebounds and 2 assists, Murray 12 points, 2 rebounds and 3 assists, and Jokic 11 points, 10 rebounds and 5 assists.

In the rematch, Murray made a free throw, Porter scored five points in a row, Gordon hit a layup, and the Nuggets went on an 8-0 run to narrow the gap to one point. James responded with a dunk, Hachimura hit a three-pointer, Doncic scored five points in a row, and the Lakers responded with a 12-2 run. Gordon and Murray hit three-pointers, James scored on a layup, but missed the free throw. The two sides were full of firepower from the outside, with Willis, Reaves, Hachimura, and Murray hitting consecutive three-point shots, and the Lakers still led by 12 points. At the end of the third quarter, the Lakers led the Nuggets 96-87.

In the final quarter, James scored 4 points in a row, and Hachimura retired injured. Vincent hit a three-pointer, Goodwin also scored five straight points, James hit two free throws, and Gordon hit a three-pointer. Reaves and Braun exchanged three-pointers. Doncic made a steal and counterattacked, scoring four more points in a row, bringing his personal score to 30 points. With 4 minutes and 15 seconds left before the end of the game, the Nuggets were already trailing by 20 points, and Malone withdrew the Nuggets' main force and conceded defeat in advance. Doncic hit two free throws and the Lakers won easily.

Both sides start

Lakers: Doncic, Reaves, James, Hachimura, Hayes

Nuggets: Murray, Braun, Porter, Gordon, Jokic