Over the last few years, the Denver Nuggets looked like an insurmountable obstacle for the Los Angeles Lakers. Led by Nikola Jokic, the Nuggets were a horrible matchup for the Lakers, beating them handily in the playoffs for two straight seasons.
This year, however, things are much different. Especially since the trade deadline that brought Luka Doncic to Los Angeles, the Lakers have proven that they can beat the Nuggets.
They did so on Wednesday for the second time over the last month. Head coach JJ Redick revealed his strategy on the way to victory, per Lakers insider Mike Trudell.
JJ Redick said Luka Doncic having so much early success against Denver’s reds (switching) led to the Nuggets having to adjust and start to fire (aggressive blitz) him, which then led to a ton of wide open 3’s for teammates, which they largely converted.
— Mike Trudell (@LakersReporter) March 20, 2025
JJ Redick Gives Lakers a Chance to Finally Beat the Nuggets
Luka Doncic had a season-high 21 points in the first quarter. The Lakers also scored a season-high 46 points in that quarter. Redick said that Doncic's early success against Denver's switching scheme made things so much easier for the Lakers for the rest of the game. Blitzing Doncic's pick-and-rolls allowed the Lakers to get a to of open looks. LA ended up scoring 105 points in three quarters and building a 28-point lead entering the fourth quarter.
That is the challenge of dealing with Doncic. As he is arguably the best passer in the league, he is almost impossible to double-team. If you don't double-team him and his shot is falling, he will beat you with his scoring.
While it's important to note that Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray were out for the Nuggets on Wednesday, the Lakers were also missing LeBron James. On February 22, the Lakers also defeated the full-strength Nuggets on the road by 23 points. Last week, they lost to the Nuggets in Denver by only five points in a game that LeBron James, Luka Doncic, Jaxson Hayes, Rui Hachimura, and Dorian Finney-Smith missed.
The Nuggets don't have the Lakers' number anymore. How a potential playoff matchup between these two teams would go down remains to be seen as both teams are vying for home-court advantage in the first round.