Luka Doncic acknowledged the challenges Los Angeles faced in Thursday’s 120‑113 loss to the Denver Nuggets at Ball Arena. “I honestly think we did a great job. The start was terrible, but after that, we got down double digits multiple times and came back, had a chance to win it,” he said.
Speaking about the Nuggets’ Nikola Jokic, Doncic said, “It’s very hard, you know, as a reason he’s the MVP. It’s very hard to stop him, you just have to make it difficult.”
Doncic addressed his 15th technical foul of the season. “Just because I yelled it. I heard three other players saying the exact same sentence and didn’t get attacked. That’s my problem. I was trying not to talk at all. It was the first thing I said, no warning or nothing,” he explained.
On avoiding suspension, he added, “Avoid it like I’ve done in previous seasons. Don’t get another technical. We’ll see. Can’t predict the future.”
The Lakers’ ability to battle back impressed Doncic. “We’re just fighting till the end. We got down multiple times in double digits, but we managed to fight back. We had one or two shots to tie it, didn’t go in, but they were good looks,” he said.
Doncic praised Jaxson Hayes’ development and chemistry. “I always say I love playing with Jaxson. His improvement this year is unbelievable. He understands even more how to play with me. Playing with him is very special,” he said.
Reflecting on the game’s start, Doncic noted, “I don’t even want to talk about the first three minutes. It was 13, 11‑0, terrible. Murray hit two threes, three free throws. After that, our energy and effort went pretty high.”
Despite his 27 points leading Los Angeles, Doncic could not overcome Denver’s balanced scoring. Jokic and Jamal Murray each scored 28 points, with Jokic adding 12 rebounds and 13 assists for his 23rd triple-double. Jamal Murray’s 20 first-half points helped offset key absences for the Nuggets, including Aaron Gordon and Cam Johnson.
LeBron James scored 16 points, surpassing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar with his 15,838th career field goal, but left briefly with a left elbow injury. Denver shot 52% from the field and 45% from three, while the Lakers converted 52% overall and 42% from deep.
The Nuggets improve to 39‑24, maintaining a slight edge over the Lakers at 37‑25 in the Western Conference standings. Denver hosts the New York Knicks Friday, and Los Angeles returns home to face the Indiana Pacers.
