Denver Nuggets @ Los Angeles Lakers
Wednesday, March 19, 2025 at 10:00 PM ET
Crypto.com Arena, Los Angeles, CA | Game ID: 22401006
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Final
LAL 46 27 32 15 120DEN 29 30 18 31 108
ESPN UpdateESPN Update
Luka Doncic scores 31 after a big 1st quarter, and the Lakers rout the depleted Nuggets 120-108
LOS ANGELES -- — Luka Doncic had 31 points, nine rebounds and seven assists in just three quarters of work, and the Los Angeles Lakers routed the Denver Nuggets 120-108 on Wednesday night in a matchup of injury-depleted Western Conference contenders .
Nikola Jokic (elbow) and Jamal Murray (ankle) missed their second straight games for Denver, while LeBron James (hamstring) and Rui Hachimura (knee) continued their longer-term absences for Los Angeles.
Austin Reaves had 22 points and eight assists for the Lakers, who have won nine consecutive home games and three straight since finishing their 0-4 road trip last Friday with a loss at Denver.
Aaron Gordon scored 26 points for the Nuggets.
The Lakers scored a season-high 46 points in the first quarter led by Doncic, who scorched Denver for 21 points in his highest-scoring quarter of the season. He missed the Lakers’ 131-126 loss to Denver last Friday, when the Lakers nearly won without him and James.
Los Angeles led by 28 after three quarters, allowing Doncic to get extra rest amid five home games in seven days.
Bronny James played the final 3:58.
Takeaways Nuggets: Even without Jokic and Murray, offense wasn't the problem. Los Angeles made 60% of its shots in the first three quarters.
Lakers: Doncic dominated early, but they're thriving with balance. Six Lakers scored in double figures, and big men Jaxson Hayes and Christian Koloko played solid defense.
Key moment Doncic was afire from the opening tip, scoring nine points in less than three minutes and 20 points in about eight minutes. He led an 18-2 run midway through the first quarter with three 3-pointers and three assists before cooling off.
Key stat Doncic scored 30 points for the 200th time in his NBA career. He's done it eight times in 16 games with LA.
Up next The Nuggets visit the Trail Blazers on Friday. The Lakers host the Bucks on Thursday.
Who is who
the initials in the Players column
LALAR A. Reaves
CK C. Koloko
DF D. Finney-Smith
DK D. Knecht
DO Doncic
GV G. Vincent
JG J. Goodwin
JH J. Hayes
JV J. Vanderbilt
LD L. Dončić
SM S. Milton
DENAG A. Gordon
CB C. Braun
CA Cancar
HT H. Tyson
JP J. Pickett
MP M. Porter Jr.
PH P. Hall
PW P. Watson
RW R. Westbrook
SJ S. Jones
VČ V. Čančar
ZN Z. Nnaji
LAL/DEN the team itself, not a player
-- the feed named nobody
What
What happened
the codes in the Events column
M2 / M3 made 2 / made 3
X2 / X3 missed 2 / missed 3
FT / X1 free throw made / missed
AST assist
OR / DR offensive / defensive rebound
STL steal
BLK block
TO turnover
FL foul
OF offensive foul — ends the possession
VIOL violation
JUMP jump ball
TM timeout
IR instant replay
HE heave at the buzzer, filed to the team
Where
Where a shot came from
the middle field of M3.LW.25
RM at the rim inside 4 ft
RC right corner
RW right wing
SO straight on
LW left wing
LC left corner
M3.LW.25 made 3, left wing, 25 ft
X2.RM.01 missed 2, at the rim, 1 ft
When
When it happened
the Offset column
one number per event, in the Events order:
whole seconds from the start of the
possession to that event
Events FL X3.RC.23 OR M2.RM.01
Offset 0 18 22 24
the foul opens the possession at 0s;
the putback ends it at 24s, which is
the possession's own Dur