The Los Angeles Lakers stormed to a 127-125 overtime win over the Denver Nuggets on Saturday, sealing the deal with some Luka Dončić magic. With six seconds remaining in overtime, Dončić sunk a difficult game-winning fadeaway from the corner, beating the clock and securing the win.
After taking a lead in the first half, Los Angeles fell behind after a big third quarter from the Nuggets before pulling back within a few points. And then, in the final seconds of regulation, Austin Reaves intentionally missed his second free throw and grabbed his own rebound to hit a tricky game-tying floater.
The overtime period was slow going for both teams, which missed some key shots. After a pair of layups from Deandre Ayton, Nuggets forward Aaron Gordon hit a 3-pointer to give Denver the lead before Marcus Smart hit a 3-pointer to pull the Lakers ahead again.
Nikola Jokić then drove for a layup to tie things up. But it was Dončić’s jumper that gave L.A. the home win.
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Dončić ended the night with 30 points, 11 rebounds and 13 assists. Reaves, meanwhile, led both teams with 32 points. Jokić finished with 24 points, 16 rebounds and 14 assists, and Gordon had a team-high 27 points for Denver.
The win pulls the Lakers to third in the West, boosted by a lineup that is finally fully healthy. It’s also the fifth win a row for L.A., which looks strong as the regular season starts to wind down.
Denver, meanwhile, is sitting in sixth after losing three of its last five.