Until now, we knew a smile could be infectious. But after watching the Lakers slicing the Nuggets (123-100), we know that smile can also spill disaster on the other person (read team) across. Especially if that is Luka Doncic! Yes, that is THE Luka JJ Redick wanted to see when he said before the tipoff that he just wanted Luka to have a “blackout episode” against the Nuggets where he “screams at no one in particular.” “That’s the Luka I know,” Redick said. “That’s the killer.”‬ Indeed, he killed right from the beginning- 16 of his 32 points came in the first quarter itself! And if we have to single out the highlight of that killer run, it has to be Luka’s connection with LeBron James.

Ever since Luka was traded to the Lakers, the fanbase made a narrative viral: Luka 77+LeBron 23= 100! Saturday night added more relevance to the narrative. Together they contributed 57 points (Luka 32 and LeBron 25) to the Lakers’ score. Less than two minutes into the game on Saturday, Luka grabbed a rebound, immediately turned his head, and without even dribbling threw a perfect full-court outlet pass that hit LeBron in style for a slam. In the rest of the play, they would connect for three more baskets. One beauty came 55 seconds before the halftime.

After grabbing his 5th rebound, Luka staged a perfect alley-oop to LeBron- his first ever to the King! Numbers tell us, that out of the 23 assists that Luka has dished out in his first four games with the Lakers, eight have gone to James. And of those eight, five have been for transition baskets. LeBron knew Luka was in his element against the Nuggets. In Denver, he said, he saw that version of Luka that led the Mavericks to the NBA Finals last year. “Once he started hitting those stepback 3s, he could be yelling or barking, either at fans, or us or himself,” James said. But turns out, Luka still thinks that they have yet to become that “100”-worthy duo.

During the post-game interview, ESPN’s Lisa Salters asked, “There’s been so much talk about you fitting in with the Lakers, about you fitting in with LeBron James. Just how were you able to find a rhythm with LeBron tonight?” Luka replied, “I think we still got a lot of improvement. I just can’t play, this is my fourth game, so you know chemistry takes time. You see today after three games, you saw today that it’s getting better. So, every day it’s gonna get better.” As great as Luka looked tonight, he probably still needs some time to be completely at peace with the new Lakers environment after his sudden 1,435-mile move from Dallas to LA. Luka did not hide that feeling.

On being asked how the past three weeks have been for him, Luka honestly said, “Hard. Different. But you know I’m happy to be playing basketball. So, like I say, every day is going to get better to me, I’m happy to be here.Playing with these guys it’s been incredible, so I’m happy for the new journey.” But what was the reason for that sublime smile throughout the night?

Salters asked, “Mike just said it you’ve been smiling all night long. Just what has felt better tonight?” Once again, wearing that killer smile, Luka replied, “Finally felt like myself a little bit you know… That’s why I was smiling the whole game.” Yes, he is gradually getting into that old self after struggling to find his footing in his first three games with Los Angeles where he averaged just 14.6 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 5.3 assists. The night brought up several instances of that.

Just seconds after the alley-oop pass to LeBron, Luka landed his signature stepback-3 that took his point tally to 19. The TV commentary succinctly explained what it meant: “You know Luka, you know he’s on that left wing, that step back going to his left, that’s what he wants.” After hitting a 3-pointer in the final minute of the first half, Luka let out a big scream, just like Redick wanted. The Slovenian’s passion was once again visible moments later when he drew a technical for arguing that the Nuggets got away with hitting him in the head on his missed floater just before the halftime buzzer. Looking at all these, King James has an interesting take on their connection.

LeBron James draws football parallel to explain his chemistry with Luka Doncic

While Luka was not fully satisfied with his chemistry with LeBron, King James could not stop raving about it, “I’m a natural-born wide receiver and he’s a natural-born quarterback, so it fits perfectly.” With tonight’s win, the Lakers have climbed to the fourth seed in the West. By now, everyone knows that the Nuggets have been the Lakers’ kryptonite for the last few years. It was Nikola Jokic and Co. who shattered the LA team’s championship dream in back-to-back seasons by eliminating them from the playoffs.

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If Luka can get in the paint like himself and LeBron continues having a career year from 3 they are...more

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But tonight, the Lakers had the upper hand from start to finish, thanks to Luka’s dominant performance. This blowout win could be a huge momentum builder for them, as Doncic said post-game, “Great confidence… It’s very tough to play here against that team. So, just to win like that, it’s an amazing win for us and gives me a lot of confidence moving forward.” Why not? The Lakers never trailed in winning in Denver for the first time since April 10, 2022. They had lost 13 of their previous 14 against the Nuggets.

The duo’s performance in Denver definitely gives the Lakers and their followers the confidence that they can make the kind of deep playoff run that eluded them the last two years when the Nuggets bounced them in the first round, winning eight of nine when James was teamed with Anthony Davis. The Lakers had just nine turnovers to Denver’s 22 and 15 steals to the Nuggets’ six. And while they took just one more shot, they made nine more baskets.

Though James and Co. surrendered Nikola Jokic’s 26th triple-double of the season, they held the reigning MVP to just 2-of-7 shooting and forced him into an unusual half-dozen turnovers. “It was their night,” Jamal Murray sighed. “Offensively and defensively.” Denver is conquered. Next up is none other than the Mavericks. The league probably never looked this interesting lately!