NBA LIVE! Los Angeles Lakers vs Denver Nuggets August 15, 2025 | 2025 NBA Season Live 2K
Heat. Heat. You know, BA, it typically means we’ll get a clean game. These guys have been around for a while and know how to take care of the basketball. So, let’s take a look at the Los Angeles Lakers starting lineup. Ruy Hachimura is out there with LeBron James. Then, it’s DeAndre Aton. Then it’s Austin Reeves and it’s Danten at the one. Yep, that one goes. Got to fight harder to get over those screens. Yeah, as soon as these guys feel contact, they are just disappearing like they’re not even there. You got to show some fire and keep defending. Now here’s Reeds. Eighton passes to Donic. That one’s good from the corner. He’s just ridiculous. He is just an absolute surgeon when he has the ball. This man is surgical. There is no way to slow him down when he wants to score. Here’s Murray. Pass to Gordon. Here’s Joic. That’s short off the rim. No clue how he misfired on that shot. You don’t see that from him very often. Donic finds Aiden over Joic. And there’s Aiden on the assist from Donic. Yeah, this is where Aiden’s comfortable operating, using his height and array of inside moves to his advantage. A chance here to catch up with Ally from the sideline. Michael Malone and I spoke for a few minutes. I asked him if he thinks anyone has a better feel for the game than Luca Donic, and he told me I don’t want to get into a comparison, but what I can say is that he controls the pace like no one else. You can’t speed him up. You can’t slow him down, guys. Okay, good stuff. Thank you, Ally. Now, here’s Dantic. Aiden. A screen on Murray to the middle. Oh, and the jam by Aton. Hard to stop Aiden once he gets moving downhill. The Nuggets have gone two of three from the floor. Murray scanning the floor. Pass to Joic. Here’s Strawler. He’s covered by Reeves. Here’s Strawler. Down to five on the shot clock. Here’s Murray. Rebounded by the Lakers. Left side. Reeves. Gordon pulls it in. That’s the shot you hope for. Right at the rim. Just couldn’t capitalize. So, it’ll be two free throws. He was fouled in the act of shooting. Grant, the Denver Nuggets have been on quite the run here in this window of time. the NBA. It’s all working for Denver in recent years. This is a well constructed team that they play as a unit and it makes it so difficult to try to get the best of them. Shooting two. And the first one at the line is good. So he got them both. You know, Grant, after losing in the first round last season, it felt like changes were inevitable for the Lakers. Yeah. Making the playoffs isn’t enough for that franchise. They are all about championship success and anything short of that is a failure. Now here’s Aiden. Now James off target with the free throw line. Jay, you got to move past that one. I mean they want him to take that again. Yeah, it’s a great look for him. One they’ll try and manufacture again. Those are the shots you want him to take. Here’s Aimura and the officials whistle a foul on the shot. The bucket is good and he’ll go to the line. High IQ pass by LeBron. He reads the floor and gets it to the open shooter. Los Angeles shooting their first free throw in this game at the line for one. free throw good. Aimura and so it’s Michael Malone here calling timeout. I think right now he must be looking at some adjustments. Listen, get your heart. Get loud and let it here. Let’s go, friends. I want to hear you get loud right now. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. About 3 minutes gone in the first quarter. Murray passes to Joic. Here’s Strawler. Here’s Brown. Pass to Strawler. Here’s Yic. And here’s Gordon from the arc. They get it back. Back to Joic. Another shot. Guess. And it’s Murray picking up the assist. And Joic doesn’t get a lot of lift on his shot, but he doesn’t need it. I mean, he is money in the mid-range. Donic passes to James. Pass to Reeves. And here’s Donic. Gets some space and burries the jumper. Starting to find his rhythm. He’s cooking and he knows it. Yeah, when he gets engaged this early in the game, it’s bad news for the defense. He can roll this start throughout the rest of the game. Now, here’s Gordon. No made baskets yet. Back to Murray. Fires for three. And Aiden pulls it down. The Lakers in the lead. Donic with it. Hayden against Joic. And there’s James from the arc. Nails it from three. Look, when LeBron James is hitting his three from that spot, look, this offense completely opens up. Gordon outside. Murray, a screen on James. James against Gordon. And there’s the drive and Gordon with the big finish. Oh, an explosive finisher. Gordon is also skilled at staying in control and finishing through contact. Now here’s Reeds. Pass to James and Los Angeles. Another three. He’s consistent from out there, especially when you give him that kind of room. Nuggets trail by six outside. Murray. Here’s Strawler from the arc. LeBron with the rebound. Murray against Donic over Murray. And there’s another one for the Lakers. They’ve been the more poised team tonight and the score reflects that. And it’s because Murray passes to Brown. Gordon with a screen on Donic. Murray with it. Picked up by James. And so he draws the foul. Headed to the line to shoot a pair. Well, Grant, when you think of Jamal Murray and all he’s been through, health is of utmost importance for him. Oh, extremely important, BA, because when Murray is healthy, he’s a lethal player and a huge part of this team’s success. and he makes a first. You know, I just love the moxy Murray has to his game. He’s so fast and supremely confident. Big rebel. Big rebel. Let’s get it. Get it. Get it. and he makes both free throws. Making shots at the line, you need a good routine and he certainly has one. Outside Reeves. Joic against Aiden. Aimura outside. James outside. Four on the clock and the layup is good off the glass. James has got eight points. Yeah, just too much big boy basketball by LeBron James just bodying defenders inside. Back to Murray. Up over Donic and that’s out of bounds. Last touch by Joic. And let’s send it over to Alli Leforce. Aaron Gordon fits perfectly with this team because of his lunch pale approach. Coach Michael Malone said, “I think Aaron Gordon is a prime example of somebody who’s truly selfless. He does the dirty work for us and a lot of times he doesn’t get the credit he deserves.” Brian, not today. That’s right. Good call, Ally. Thank you. Donic outside the offensive rebound. James passes to Aimura. Donic on the wing over Murray. Donic outside. Donic is doubled. James outside from deep. Reeves. Gordon pulls it in. Nuggets trail by eight. And here’s Joic. Pass to Murray. Back to Joic. Oh, rejected by Eightton. So difficult to shoot over. Eighton proving it with that rejection. And the fans love seeing incredible moments on defense like that block. Yeah, just some terrific effort there. And you know, the whole team will get an energy boost off a block like that. Johnson, he’s checked in for Nicole Joic. And the Lakers also making a switch. Smarts checked in. Shot clock at five and there’s the lob. It’s stolen by James outside. Greavves. James deciding where to go with it. Pass to Smart. Six on the shot clock. And there’s James on the assist from Smart. James has got 10 points. Boy, I like their energy coming in. Terrific execution so far. Couldn’t come up with a much better start than this. They just have to keep it going. Here’s Strawler. He’s got five. Fires the three. That’s a foul called on Cameron Johnson. That’s his first foul. This is why you always have to chase guys off the arc because everyone has a three-point shot. Los Angeles leading by seven. Smart passes to Reeds to the inside. Here’s Aiden. Out to James. Lets it go from deep. sinks it from distance. 13 points in the game. When you’re guarding LeBron, you have to give him something. So, the King, well, he’ll take a three-point basket. Gordon outside. Back to Murray. Rebounded by the Lakers. Here’s James. No good. A bit long that time. Well, okay. Well, I like his aggressiveness, but like the defense was waiting on him that time. Despite the height disadvantage, oh my, he just attacks that interior. Really upfaced. Throw his height right out the window there. Here’s the floater and he sinks the layup and the Lakers lead by 10. Now look, a coach is going to trust LeBron James to just put up monster numbers cuz that’s who he is. But it is nice to see him get into a nice groove like this. Now here’s Gordon. The ball’s knocked loose. Pass to Brown. Murray against Smart. Lets the three fly and Aiden pulls it down. Aton’s got four rebounds now. Smart against Murray. James outside. kept alive. Defense has real good answer for eight there. So they come at the big man and foul. And a chance for a moment to check out the scoring breakdown for Los Angeles. So far, they haven’t had to force anything. They’re swinging the ball around and turning good passing into points. And another thing they’ve done is look to shoot from the mid-range often. So far, it’s really paying off for them. The first one falls. And I love the footwork Aton possesses. It’s what makes him so dangerous. Close to the rim. A different look for Denver. Jordan’s checked in for Gordon. Watson comes in for Brown. And it’s Picket in for Strawler. Connect checked in for the Lakers. Vincent comes in for Reeves. Aiden hits them both. Some big guys struggle at the line. Not him. He’s put in the work to defy that assumption. Smart against Murray. Jordan with a screen on Smart down low. Last slam dunk by Jordan. So dangerous in the pick and roll. Murray moving that ball, creating for others. Los Angeles leading by 10. Pass to Aiden. And here’s James covered by Johnson. Double team on James. Smart passes to Vincent. Kicks it out to Smart. Here’s James on the wing covered by Johnson and the whistle blows as the basket counts. Chance at a three-point opportunity here. One free throw coming up. This will be his third free throw of the game. A different look for Denver. Nicole Joic has checked in for Jordan and Chonchar subbed in for Jamal Murray. The Lakers also with a sub. Donic checked in. That’s good from Aiden. Nuggets trail by 13. Now here’s Watson. Pass to Joic. Joic with a screen on Smart. Here’s Pickicket. That shot off. Smart with the defensive effort. And here’s Smart. He’ll bring it up for the Lakers. Right hand. Right hand. 116 left in the first. Five on the clock. Donic outside and once again off the mark by Los Angeles. Denver has gone just two for six from the arc here in the first. And what an impressive move to the rim. He’s really trying to fire up his teammates right now. Boy, it’s not hard to feel inspired after a teammate makes that kind of finish. And that could be the spark they needed to make a little run as they try to even this thing up. Eight passes to Donic. And there’s a whistle. He’ll head to the line to shoot two. And you can’t let Donic get this type of positioning because then you’re pretty much forced to foul him. Los Angeles shooting their fifth and six free throw attempts tonight. and he knocks down the first one. And Donas is a walking triple double threat. His versatility and confidence is really special. Vanderbilts checked in for DeAndre Aton. So he makes one of two and the second one misses. And while Nicole Joic has lots of years left in this league, he’s already an all-time great brand. You know, BA, not many guys have won multiple MVPs and a title, but Jokic has already accomplished so much. And with his size, the skill set, Jokic can be elite for a long time and add to that impressive resume. The Lakers lead by 10 now. 5 seconds separating the shot clock and the game clock. Vanderil pass to Smart. There’s the block. has to pick it inside and Joic throws it down. And if you try to block his shot, you risk getting posterized because he is good at using that height to his advantage. And so it’s LeBron James making things happen for Los Angeles. An insane quarter. No one could stop him. More 2K action in just a moment. And for those of you just tuning in, second quarter action is where we are. What do you guys think about Los Angeles here in this one? Well, it’s simple. I mean, they started off strong and they’ve been hot from beyond the arc since the get-go and as long as the threes are dropping, you’ve got to keep launching them. Los Angeles has gotten three of their seven threes to find the net in this matchup. They’ve got Cameron Johnson. He’s out there with Nicole Yic. And it’s John in at the three spot. That’s the group on the floor for Denver. Donic shot is good. The size and strength of Donic can go overlooked. I mean, he’s more than capable of scoring there in the paint. Pass to Joic. Johnson against Vanderbilt. Now, here’s Watson tightly guarded. And this is a star-driven league. But talk about the importance of role players, Grant. Oh, BA. A lot of times they’re the ones who carry the day. You know what you get from your stars, but when the X factor ignites, that can make the difference. Denver shooting their fifth and six free throws of the game. Take a break. Take a break. Two shots. Rebound. Big chair. That one’s off. on the miss. And he’s good on the second. Los Angeles leading by nine. Smart passes to Donic. from downtown. John Char with the rebound. The Nuggets shooting 53%. Good efficiency on offense so far. Pass to Johnson. Joic with it. Back to Johnson. Here’s Pickicket. Rebound. The Lakers. 13 points was their biggest lead of the game. To the paint. Here’s Vanderbilt. And Vanderbilt slams it in. While he’s a bit undersized for four, he more than makes up for it with his balance. Here’s Picket. No points yet. To the left wing. He shoots. Shot is good off the back rim and in. Yeah, great pass to Joic when he’s ready to fire and then he’s straight into his motion. Donic outside and Luca cashes in from long distance. Got to fight harder to get over those screens. Yeah, as soon as these guys build contact, they are just disappearing like they’re not even there. You got to show some fire and keep defending. Johnson. Here’s Joic and Joic throws it down. So listen, I mean whether you put a body on Joic or you don’t, he will sneak in there for a second chance opportunity. Smart passes to Donic, launches it. Denver grabs the miss. Joic has got rebound number five here tonight. Here’s Pickicket. He’s checked by Cleba. Pass to Chonchar outside. Watson. Smart against Joic. Joic is doubled. Here’s Pickicket. Offensive board. Oh, that’s too easy for Joic when he gets inside position. And Joic has a number of moves to choose from, especially deep inside. Smart looking around. Pass to Clea. Now Donic defended by Watson. Rebounded by Denver. Joic has got his seventh rebound of the game with that last one to the middle. Here’s Picket. The Nuggets need to get one up from deep Johnson. It’s hauled in by Luca Donuch. Would you say testing the limits of his range there? Yeah, he might have been feeling himself a little too much on that one. He can hit it, but not consistent. Smart passes to Donic down low. Kicks it out to Smart. Lets it fly. Rebounded by Johnson. Nuggets trail by eight. Watson passes to Chachar to the inside. Pick it. That shot is off. Good D by Dantic to stop the drought. Luca lethal. Encouraging to see Donic sink the three. Needs to keep doing this now inside and stolen by Vanderbilt to the middle and connect gets it to go on the assist from Donic. Donic has got three assists in the game. The Nuggets have gotten five of eight attempts to drop since the second began. Milk with a screen on Smart. Pass to Chonchar. The three is up. Knocks down the triple. Char’s got five. You give a shooter of his caliber that much time to seam it up. Oh yeah, you’re done. And so it’s Smart who brings up the ball for the Los Angeles Lakers. 10-point lead. Time now to hear from our reporter Ally Leforce. KBA. The Denver Nuggets are building for the long haul. Their philosophy has been to draft polished prospects and then develop them into contributors. They look for four qualities. Basketball IQ, character, positional size, and the absence of skilled efficiencies. Ryan, the track record has been It really has. Thanks, Alec. And it’s good. Two points. Jokic has got eight points here in the quarter. This right here, this is how you want to play the game with passion, with energy, just great hustle. way right there. Look, that’s going to happen. Smart gets in there with those trees. If you’re a little too aggressive, things going to happen. Los Angeles shooting their seventh and eighth attempts at the foul line tonight. And that one falls for Smart. And Denver will go for a different look here. Aaron Gordon’s checked in for Johnson. Brown comes in for Chonchar. Straw’s checked in for Watson. And Murray subbed in for Picket. Nuggets trail by 10. Now Murray and he’s going for the oop here. Stolen by Eightton. Pass break. Here come the Lakers. Oh, LeBron hammers it home. Yeah, the forced turnover showing how Aiden’s developing defensively. Huh. Ignites the break there. The Nuggets have gone five of 10 in the second quarter. Gordon outside. Murray. A screen on James. Back to Murray. Pass to Jookic. Here’s Strawler. Three-pointer. The shot no good. Now here’s Aimura. Defense is right there. It’s tipped. Ooh, stolen by Murray. Back come the Nuggets on the run. Here’s Strawther. And they’re going to count that bucket and they’ll send him to the line. It could be a three-point play. He hears the whistle and he keeps his concentration and is able to knock it down. Denver shooting their seventh free throw attempt here. Second team inbound at the line for one. One shot. Los Angeles leading by nine. Donic with it. 15 points in the game. Pass to Reeves. That one falls. He’s now one for three. And the dime going to Aton expanding the passing part of his game. And it’s Murray with the ball for the Denver Nuggets. Joic with a screen on Donic. Now here’s Joic. There’s the triple. It’s good. And the assist goes to Murray. Murray’s got three assists in the game. The way he can elevate over a defender from deep. Very tough to contain outside the arc. And here’s Donic down low. Here’s Aiden. Good D by Joic. Look, the defense was locked in on him there. They know how dangerous he can be and they guarded him perfectly. Back to Murray. Ooh, the lead pass was in the perfect spot to set up the layup. Skilled finish by Murray. He can score inside and outside. Really anywhere on the court. Reeds. The pass to Dodic. Back to Reeds. Donic outside. Pocket six. Luca, get off me. And their offense tonight is Luca, Luca, and more Luca. When he’s on, it’s an opponent’s worst nightmare. Gordon, the pass to Joic. Here’s Strawler. Here’s Brown. Pass to Schwer. Murray with it. Up and over. Donic. Aimura with a rebound. Aimura’s got his fourth rebound in this one. Ooh, stolen by Murray. Now Joic pass to Strawler. Six to shoot. Misses a three. Los Angeles leading by eight. James inside defended by Gordon with the fadeaway and it’s good off the back of the rim and in. James has got 19 points. A real threat from the in between area. LeBron wastes no time firing when he gets to that spot. Back to Murray. Gordon outside pass to Joic. Shoots over Aiden and again it’s Denver missing. Los Angeles has gone five of 12 from three-point range tonight. Now here’s Reeds. Not a lot of room to the inside. Second shot opportunity and he makes it. Payton’s got 11 points. And the defense has no one to blame but themselves. I mean, they just let him get right to the rim. That’s a great possession. Put your best players in a position to succeed. Remaining in the first two. Here’s Donic. Here’s Reeves. Great D that time from Joic. Nuggets trail by 12. Here’s Strawther. Oh, a dunk and a foul. A powerhouse move. He’s got a chance for one more at the line. That one on. Donic Vincent checked in for the Lakers. That’s his first personal foul. 13,000 at the line for Denver. Strawber shooting one, one shot. Miss Box here. Box here. The Lakers lead by nine. James outside to the paint. Oh, got a piece of it. 133 left in the second period. Pass to Schwer. And here’s Joic. Murray from outside. The shot no good. The defense just giving him the easy look there. He’s not going to miss that. James outside. A minute six left in the first half. Reeves the pass to Aimura. Just five on the clock. The Lakers got to get one up. Late clock. The shot by James. No good. Nuggets trail by nine. Outside Murray pass to Strawler. Here’s Murray. He’s covered by Aiden. Pulls up. Here’s Joic. Jokic using his strength inside. And this is how powerful Joic is. Able to still score despite the contact. Outside. Reeves. James. A good look. thinks it from just inside the baseline. James has got 21. The scoring is coming easy for him. Got to keep the ball in his hands. Joic passes to Gordon. Here’s Strawther. Hits the three-pointer. Strawther’s got nine points in the quarter. 15 seconds left in the first half. Now here is James. 21 points in the game. Takes the three. He can’t get that one to fall. And so it’s Los Angeles leading by six as we wrap up the quarter. Just pounding the painted area that’s helped them build an advantage. All right, we’ll get back to the action after this break. And so it’s Donic with it. He brings it up for the Lakers. 13 points was their biggest lead of the game. And so in the game for Los Angeles, Austin Reeves out there with Luca Donuch. Then there’s LeBron James. Then it’s Rui Aimura. And it’s Aiden 10 at the five down low. Look, the moment he gets it anywhere near the hoop, look, it is over. Just too much strength, too much touch either hand. Murray against Donic. Gordon right side, left side. Murray, and it’s going to be a 3second call. We’ve seen more than a few miscues from them tonight. And if they want to come back in this game, look, they got to clean up those mistakes. Los Angeles leading by eight. Pass to Donic. Oh, stolen by Murray. Here’s Brown. Ooh, plenty of contact on that shot. Officials call the foul and he’ll take two free throws now. It’s on LeBron James. And even from where we’re sitting, you could clearly tell it was a foul. A two shots. First free throw is good. Let’s get it. Get it. He’s off on the second. The Lakers lead by seven. Aimura the pass to Donic and Aiden with the stuff. I like how Aiden makes himself a big target on these alleys. Just a quality finish. Payton’s gone. Five of eight from the field. Murray against Donic. It’s Joic high post. throw it down Nola and dunking it with authority inside. This is why Joic guys look to feed him down there to the middle and there’s James on the assist from Donic. James has got 25 points. He’s earning his keep offensively. A key part of their winning effort at this point. Murray with it. Aimura covering the three. Gordon and Aiden pulls it down. Aiden’s got 10 rebounds here tonight. So active. Reeves the pass to James and there’s a 3second violation. Second violation. Nuggets trail by nine. Murray passes to Gordon. Back to Murray. Pass to Brown. Back to Murray. Shot clock at six. Brown passes to Murray. Over Donic. Murray. No good. Got to find easier shots when you’re already struggling. That’s not going to get it. James outside. Donic with it. Defended by Murray, outside. Reeves fires from deep. Rebounded by Denver. Here’s Strawler. 17 points in the game. Oh, wasted no time on that one. Give him 20. And his perimeter shooting might be the key to trimming their deficit. Absolutely. And they have to continue to go to him. Outside Reeves. Here’s Aimura. Brown grabs a board. Nuggets trail by six. Third quarter action. Just under three and 1/2 minutes have passed. Pass to Joic. And Joic throws it down. And although he’s undersized, his position is vertical. Yeah, that’ll clean up a few mistakes. Murray against Donic. Donic, you see the stretch? And how about the handles Luca has? Phenomenal at creating scoring opportunities for himself. pass to Strawler. Gordon against James. Brown passes to Gordon. Now here’s Yic. Murray for three and Aiden pulls it down. I think he’s gone completely dry. Nothing is hitting. Yeah. And the risk now is that he gets inside his own head. Time to take deep breaths. In through the nose, out through the mouth, and let the game come to you. Murray passes to Gordon. Back to Murray. Here’s Strother. Three-pointer off the mark. Los Angeles leading by eight. Pass to Aimura. Back to James. Up top from behind the ark. Rebounded by Denver. Here’s Strawler. Give him 20. Gordon the pass to Brown. Here’s the pick. Out to the wing. Now Joic. 23 points in the game. Oh, tough make there from the Joker. Looked like he was playing against his little brother out there. The way he just went right over him with his height. Donic passes to Aiden. Pass to Aimura. Donic with it over Murray. Donic. No good. Donic against Murray. Here’s Brown. And he jams it home with authority. And once he gets to the rim, it’s fairly automatic. Nothing fancy right there. Just takes his two points, moves on. Donic against Murray. Donic with it. He’s got 19 over Murray. Oh, Luca like a bull in there. With the allaround impact he makes, if he can stay healthy, Donic could win multiple MVPs. He’s got those special kind of gifts to the left side wing. Brown passes to Murray. Joic with a screen on Donic. Murray from outside. Drills it from deep. Murray’s got seven points. So active on offense. Murray doing it himself. Outside Greavves. Back to Donic. Count the basket and the foul. It’s going to be on Jamal Murray and going right through the contact. Luca has tremendous strength, especially for a guy who handles the ball so much. Johnson, he’s checked in for Brown. And the Lakers also making a switch. Smarts checked in for Achimura. One shot. Nuggets trail by six. Murray passes to Joic. Now Gordon Joic with a screen on Smart. Just five to shoot. Murray passes to Yic. Fires the three. It’s rebounded by Los Angeles. Donic has got four rebounds now. 43. Joic grabs the board. Joic has got 13 rebounds in the game. Glass eating. Pass to Gordon. Oh, the bucket’s good. And he’ll have a chance at one more. It’s going to be on DeAndre Aton fouling Gordon won’t necessarily stop him from scoring. He’s not afraid to get physical with opponents. And let’s take a moment to get your take, guys, on the scoring so far for Los Angeles. Look, they’re getting good looks inside. It’s been a point of emphasis all night long, but I love this hard-nosed attitude of this team. Yeah. Something else I love that they’re doing is driving into the lane and getting the shots they want in penetration. And that one misses. And talking about Gordon, just a freak athlete and ferocious dunker, a valuable role player on this team. Pass to Reeves. James, a screen on Johnson. Donic outside. Here’s the three and it’s Jordan with the rebound. Given his range, you’d expect him to capitalize on that open. Murray passes to Gordon. Pass to Strawler. Gordon with it. The three. Strawther. No good. From deep. Here’s Donic. Buries it from three. Donic has got 27. I like when Donic goes right up with it. giving the defense no time to react. And so it’s Michael Malone here calling timeout. He The Nuggets have gotten seven of 14 attempts to fall in the half. Inside, here’s Jordan. Oh, and makes it with the kiss. Assertive move. You can tell the game’s heating up a bit. And so Smart will bring it up for the Lakers. 13 points was their biggest lead of the game. Pass to Vanderbilt. Now here’s Donic defended by Watson. Donic no good. Nuggets trail by five. Outside Murray outside Johnson from deep. Donic pulls down the board. Dic has got rebound number five here tonight. Smart with the ball guarded down by Watson. A minute 35 left in the third from deep Johnson. They grabbed their own miss. Here’s Char. No good from outside and the shooter had very little space on that attempt. I’m sure they’ll think twice about shooting against him next time. They get the rebound. Smart for three and Smart nails the triple. Just such a quick release there by Marcus Smart. You love to see that just catch, touch, and release. Watson passes to Murray and Marcus Smart picks up the foul. Marcus, that’s his first foul. Vincent’s checked in for Don. Laker substitution number seven, Gabe Vincent. 102 left in the third quarter. Pass to Jordan. Five to shoot. Here’s Chonchar. And here’s Jordan. Guarded by Vanderville. The put back. Great positioning on the put back. The jam not only shows Jordan’s length, but also his oops IQ. It’s hard to line up a put back like that. Smart passes to Vincent. Back to Smart. 34 seconds left in the third quarter. I like that. I mean, some physical play inside. He’s not about to give up any easy baskets. This is second trip to the line in the game. Shooting from Los Angeles. Marcus Smart taking two shots. Shooting two. The first free throw is good. And so Smart nails them both. Nuggets trail by eight now. 8 seconds separating the two clocks. Outside Watson on the wing. Murray. Six on the shot clock. He buries it from three. Murray’s got six here in the quarter. Wow. Murray making the deep shot look just easy. I mean, that’s a real testament to his accuracy. Vanderbilt a screen on Johnson and James puts up a deep three. Oh, no good on the last second attempt there. Oh, what a performance by Luca Donic. He has been the story for Los Angeles. 27 on the night. He’s had it his way. And more NBA action on 2K Sports coming your way right after this. And it’s time to bring up the State Farm assist of the game. Talk about painting a magnificent picture with that Don. Just a great decision and a perfect delivery. A lot of times a spectacular pass is more impressive than a spectacular shot. This is one of those times. Three tense quarters behind us, one more to go. Thanks for being with us as we get ready for the fourth. Aiden Watson is out there with Cameron Johnson. Then there’s Nicole Joic and it’s Chonchar in at the three. That’s the group on the floor for Denver. The Lakers lead by five. Here’s Connect to the wing right side. And here’s Vanderbilt from the ark. Rebounded by Denver. Joic is and Denver shooting it well. Almost 50% from the floor. Watson rebound. The Lakers. Vanderbilt’s got four rebounds now. Here’s Vincent. And a strong finish with two hands. And he just driving the stake in him there. He’s a guy just never lets up. And that finish shows you how dangerous he can be as a passer and a finisher. Pass to Joic. Shoots over Clea and he buries that one back rim and in. Jookic has got 27. And this is just typical of him. Always making an impact at crucial moments in the game. And his team needs every bit of his production if they want to pull this one out. It is neck and neck here in the final period. Here’s connect now. Donic and he drops it in from the low post. That’s 29 for him. Breakd down for the defenders and you can’t ask for an easier bucket than that. Left side Watson. Pick by Holmes. Watson passes to Yic. Fires it. The shot by Johnson. No good. And the defense was right on him there. Nice contest. Kicks it to Donic. And this team’s offensive catalyst. Donic puts pressure on the defense every possession. First team foul shooting from Los Angeles. Donic. Two shots. Shooting two. No good on that one. A different look for Denver. Naji comes in for Holmes and Strawther subbed in for Chonchar. And the Lakers also making a change. Reeves is checked in. and he sinks to second. Nuggets trail by eight. A touch under two and a half minutes of pass now here in the fourth. And the dunk by Joic. Hey, kept it simple. No reason to get fancy right now. NBA. Yeah, he’s just looking to find shots and produce for his team. Benson passes to Reed and he got the whistle on the way up. So, he’ll be headed to the line for a pair. That’s his fourth person. Second team, shooting from Los Angeles. Re two shots. Take a break. Take a break. Two shots. And that one falls for Reeves. until Reeves nails both of them. Nuggets trail by eight. Here’s Strawler outside. Watson pass to Joic and they double up Joic. Four on the clock. Here’s Naji. Drains the triple. Nice pass by Cam Johnson. Keeping his eyes up, letting things unfold. And Reeves has got the ball here for Los Angeles. 13 points was their biggest lead of the game. Donic on the wing. Got a hand on it outside. Johnson. Fourth quarter of play and over 3 and 1/2 minutes have gone by now. Pass to Schwer. Oh, and he got fouled on his way up. He’ll head to the line to shoot two. That’s his first. Jared Vanderbilt picks one up. Well, that was clearly a foul. At the line for Denver taking two shots. Eddie drops a first. that misses. So he splits the free throws. Just a tough miss at the line. They’re down two baskets now. Johnson for three. Rebounded by the Lakers. And here’s Reeves. Donic outside. Pass to Vanderbilt. They set a pick to the inside. Here’s Reeves. and good on the sevenfooter and the Lakers lead by six. Love to see him inside passing like this as well as guys being on the same page. Now Joic, he’s checked by Clea. Joic is doubled outside. Watson pass to Strawler. And here’s Yic. Shoots over Clea and it’s Joic missing. Vincent outside. Here’s Cleba. Covered by Joic. Clebba against Joic. Cleba passes to Vincent. Cleba with it. Over Joic. Clea. Shot is off. Nuggets trail by six. Pass to Strawler. Now here’s Watson. Naji sets a screen. Watson with it. Now Vanderbilt defending. Uses the glass on the layup. And you want him taking good shots at this point in the game. And that one was easy. Yeah, it’s clear why they go to him in these moments. They know he’s going to deliver for it. And here’s Donic outside. He drops it from range. Donic has got six here in the corner. You give a shooter of his caliber that much time to seam it up. Oh yeah, you’re done. Over to the left wing. Here’s Joic. Oh, and there’s the whistle on the shot. So, two free throws for him coming up. That’s a bit. It’s Joic with the ball for the Nuggets. They trail by six. Uses the glass to finish the layup. Yelkich has got seven now in this quarter. Oh, that’s a big bucket. Putting the offense on his shoulders right there. Pass to Vincent. Here’s James. Now here’s Aiden. And here’s Reeves. Shot clock at five. The three not going to go that time. Nuggets trail by four and he loss it up and Gordon with the big finish. Oh, this is Gordon at his best. Flying through the air and hammering home Alioops with a little style. Pass to Dun back to Reeds. Aton with it. Covered by Yic. Aton passes to Donic. 11 ft out. Jump shot is good. Donic has got 18 points now here in the second half. And there’s Luca, one of the most entertaining players in the league. Now Johnson Gordon outside. There’s the three. Drops in the three. And the defense is looking almost lost on the perimeter. That opens up a quality three-point shot and he delivers. Big three right there, especially at this point in the game. Here’s Donic. Count it. Donic has got 37. Oh my. Tight defense, but Donic just muscles it in outside. Murray. Johnson on the wing. Yic with a screen on Reeves. Here’s Johnson and there are the Nuggets with another bucket. Going to work in the mid-range. This is how confident Johnson is from this area. Reeves the pass to Aiden. And that one’s good with extra effort on the glass and the Lakers lead by three. Now what’s the saying? Don’t box out, get your feelings hurt. The kick out to Johnson. That balls. Nice feed from Joic. Johnson’s got five points now this quarter. Their strategy has been pretty simple here in the second half. Attack from three-point range. And you see this so much more nowadays in the NBA. Team putting a larger emphasis on jacking up threes. Here’s Vincent. And they come right back with their own three-pointer. And that’s how you up the ante. Come right back at him. Yeah, I love the competitive fire right there. You drain a triple on us and I’m coming for my revenge. And timeout is called by Michael Malone. He’s looking to make some very important adjustments here. It’s the time of the game. Heat. Heat. Heat up here. Brown checked in for the Nuggets and the Lakers also making a switch. Aimura’s checked in for Vincent. The Lakers on D. 13 points was their biggest lead of the game. Murray inside guarded by Donic Aton with the defensive effort. The Lakers lead by three. Here’s Aimura and he gets the friendly roll as that one goes. You can tell Donic trusts his teammates. He’ll get them looks and doesn’t insist on doing everything himself. Now Murray up and over Dodic True on the 14-footer and this is why they go to Murray in critical spots of the game. He just knows how to come through. Back to Donic. Two minutes remaining in the Dayton. A screen on Murray. From deep. Here’s Donic. Denver grabs the miss. Joic has got his 16th rebound on the night. Here’s Murray. The shot won’t fall. Oh, great key that time from Donic with the tear drop. Joic grabs the board. Yic has got rebound number 17 if you can believe that outside Murray down lowic and how about a trick move by the big man I mean nice thumb fake from Joic at the line number two Nico Y good on the first and that brings him within two here. Both good from the line that time in a tight game. He is exactly where we want that block. And Bonic has got the ball here for Los Angeles. And you can count it. He’ll go to the line with a chance at a three-point play. Clutch play by Donic. He’s been doing this since he was a kid. and a free throw. No good. Nuggets trail by three. Pass to Murray. This one for three. Long target from range. Murray’s got five points in the quarter. Some players shrink in the pressure zone, but he lives for these moments. Los Angeles has got two of five threes to go here in the fourth. Donic passes to Aiden. Second chance shot and it’s in. Great to see guys who don’t back down under pressure. He knew what they needed here and was determined to deliver on outside Murray to the middle. Cash a huge shot to tie it out. And we’ve got a timeout called by JJ Reic and a great call on his part. This is the time you want to be in safe right here. It’s time for the dance. Get ready to see yourself. Let’s go. 36 seconds left to play in the fourth. Payton with a screen from deep. Here’s Donic. Gordon pulls it in. Important possession here. Yeah, we’ll see how they execute under pressure. against Murray. Just five to shoot to take the lead. Here’s Brown. He’s out from three. Time expires. We’re going to overtime. And we’ve got more action coming your way after this break. Well, four quarters were enough to decide this ball game. Sit back and enjoy as we move on to overtime. Donic with it. We’ve got Austin Reeds. Ruy Hachimura is out there with James. Then it’s DeAndre Aiden. And it’s Donic in at the one spot to the paint. It’s good. Donic. Donic has got 41. This has been the story of the game. A battle fought on offense. Yeah, but I think it’s going to come down to who can get the stop down the stretch because that’s who’s going to come away with this one. Getic high post and here’s Gordon from the ark. Donic pulls down the board. Donic has got seven rebounds in the game. Rebound by the Nuggets. Jokic has got his 18th rebound here tonight. all over the place. Pass to Strawther. Wide open look and he gets it to go. Hitting off the back of the rim. Strawther’s got 23. The Lakers shooting around 51%. That’s a good number. James passes to Aton. Here’s Donic. Rebounded by Denver. Brown’s got four rebounds in the game. Here’s Murray. James with the block. Impro with the blocks. Look, the shooters are working hard, but he is all over the place. Oh, and the jam by Aton. I just love the aggressive finish. I’m thinking he’s sending a strong message with that jam. Back to Murray to take the lead. Rebound by the Lakers. 13 points was their biggest lead of the game. Pass to James and he can’t get that one. Good work defensively by Gordon. Here’s Strawler. That balls. Nice feed from Yokic. Strawler’s gotten four this quarter. The court awareness on full display. Jokic is such a unique big man. Outside Reeves to the inside. Here’s James. It’s hauled in by Nicole Yokic. Denver has gone 0 for two from deep. Not what they need this overtime. Just over two and a half minutes in OT in this exciting contest. Down to five on the shot clock. Pass to Strawer. Gordon outside to take the lead. Some solid defense from James. And here’s Donic. He’ll bring it up for the Los Angeles Lakers. High arcing shot. Kilkage grabs the board. The Nuggets have gone a rocky two for six so far at OT. pass the straws the screen. Here’s Strawler. He’s covered by Reeves. Back to Bordon. Here’s Brown and unable to get the go-ahead bucket there. And the Lakers shooting 29% since OT. Not what they’re hoping for. Reeds pass to Aiden. Back to Reeds. Gotic on the wing. Here’s James. James, a freak train coming. I’m sorry. Just who else would you wanted shooting there? LeBron James just so calm under pressure inside. And they double up. Yic. He’s crowd. Oh, nails the triple. Well, if they’re doubling you, then you know someone is open to shoot. So, smart move passing it out. Throws it up high. Pass to Yic. Oh, he nails it. Tie game. Huge basket right there. And so JJ Reick calls for the timeout. The pressure is on and he’s got a plan to share with his guys. Donic against Murray. And here’s Reeves outside. Strawther grabs a miss. So it’s Denver now. Pass to Brown. Now Murray Strawler. The three is up. They get it again. They kick it out to Murray. About 3 seconds between the shot clock and the game clock. Yic with a screen on James. Just five on the clock. And so JJ Reick calls for the timeout. There is a lot on the line and he is determined to make sure everyone’s on the same page. Let’s hear from our analysts. Give us your take on the strategy being discussed right now. If they leave the ark open, take it. But it may be safer to get a quick two and then foul. Yeah, time is the enemy at this point. So, I think I’d go for the tie and avoid playing the foul game. So, it’s Los Angeles now. They trail by three. That’s the free to fall. Hey everybody, that’s execution off an inbounds play. And timeout is called by Michael Malone. Great time to call his guys into the huddle at a very tense moment in this game. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. for the win. Good from downtown. What a shot. If they take a second look at it, The officials do need to look at the replay. So, the basket may count after all. We’ll see. No guarantee this outcome is going to remain the same. And the call just came in. The basket was too late. And this crazy game just keeps on going. At first, I thought maybe he did get it off in time, but I’ll tell you, the cameras don’t lie. And here we go again. Another overtime. Another tie. And we’re going to have a second overtime. And we’ll return shortly. And as we play on into another overtime, you know, these teams must be wearing down. It’s become a battle of attrition. Here’s Murray. Gordon outside. Pass to Brown outside. Murray tries to break his ice. Bat falls. Nice feed from Joic. Getting the ball inside. Usually a pretty good wrestler. Murray against Donic. Pulls up high post. Ooh, lands soft on the front of the rim and drops in. Donic has got 46. There is no chance that this game is tied up without his offensive firepower to the middle. Stolen by Aton. Oh, deflected. Gordon with a steal. Pass to Brown. Back to Murray. Jookic with a screen on Aimura. Murray passes to Joic. Here’s Brown. Guarded by Donic. Clock at four. Here’s Joic. It’s hauled in by Luca Donuch. Donic has got rebound number eight now. Beyond the ark. Counted from distance. And it’s a three-point Los Angeles lead. Using that change of pace off the dribble, Donic gets the shots he wants. Murray up top. Guarded by Donic. Here’s Tro and he can’t answer back. The three-pointer offline. Los Angeles leading by three. Wow. Potent offense. It’s been fun to watch. Just aggressive and effective. Taking it right to the defense. A sloppy turnover. When you’re not locked in, you pay the price. Boy, this offense has been dynamic and diversified. Just everyone sharing the ball and sharing the load makes you difficult to defend. And Joic throws it down. He is just an excellent pick and roll option. Joic always uses his high basketball IQ to find and execute the right play. Aton a screen on Murray from deep. Here’s Donic. It’s hauled in by the Nuggets. Strawther’s got his fifth rebound in this one to the inside. Jokic. Nice dish and the layup goes down. Joic has got 42 in the game. And so James will bring it up for the Los Angeles Lakers. Pass to Aiden. Now here’s Dantic and it’s good. He hits another one and that gives him 51. Making it look easy. The Nuggets trail and here’s Murray. Gordon outside pass to Strawler over Reeves and the Nuggets getting another bucket to fall. I doubt that’s what they were looking for, but it works out. And for Los Angeles, they’re shooting a nice 50% for the game. Donic against Murray. Donic. Good. Jonic has got 53 points. So shooting 53% good efficiency on offense so far. Pass to Yic. Yic. Easy over the top. Yeah, there’s that guard touch of Joic. Simply incredible for a man his size. Dic against Murray. Let’s go with a three. Luca Donic again. Donic has got 56 in the game. That’s a move you won’t see many guys make. Impressive stuff. Down low. Here’s Yic. That’s the trouble with three balls. Goes back up. He connects and he’s tied it up. What a shot. Now here’s Dic. Yes. Showing off the dribble moves, able to create for himself. I love it. And so it’s Michael Malone here calling timeout. Critical moment here. He’s not taking any chances. Outside Murray pass to Sher three-pointer knocks down the long jade. The combo guard Murray capable of hurting you with his scoring as well as with his passing. And so JJ Reic calls for the timeout. There is a lot on the line and he is determined to make sure everyone’s on the same page. All right, what are the considerations at this late juncture? And there’s enough time on the clock to go for a two for one. He finds a shooter in motion and is confident he can threat him with a lead pass. Well done. 5second differential between the shot clock and game clock to the paint. Here’s Joic. It’s called in by Luca Donic. And they foul intentionally. Now they’re going to have to do that again. They’re not in the penalty just yet. Yeah. And that was a smart move. I mean, you have to foul right there. You just don’t want them to run out the clock. Here’s Dunin. And an intentional foul right there. That’s his second. So the first one drops and that’ll put him up two. Two shots. Stanny hits both free throws here. And it’s a three-point game. And those were some big time shots. Those free throws helping make this a three-point game. Murray passes to Joic and no good. Oh, great D that time from Donic and an intentional foul there. Stops the clock. He drops the first one and that gives him a four-point mission. And so he drops them both and it’s a five-point game. Making no mistakes and putting some extra nails in the coffin right here. That pretty much do it. And another miss by Denver. So we see the Lakers get the Heat. Heat. N. You know, BA, it typically means we’ll get a clean game. These guys have been around for a while and know how to take care of the basketball. So, let’s take a look at the Los Angeles Lakers starting lineup. Ruy Hachimura is out there with LeBron James. Then, it’s DeAndre Aton. Then it’s Austin Reeves and it’s Danten at the one. Yep, that one goes. Got to fight harder to get over those screens. Yeah, as soon as these guys feel contact, they are just disappearing like they’re not even there. You got to show some fire and keep defending. Now here’s Reeds. Aton passes to Donic. That one’s good from the corner. He’s just ridiculous. He is just an absolute surgeon when he has the ball. This man is surgical. There is no way to slow him down when he wants to score. Here’s Murray. Pass to Gordon. Here’s Joic. That’s short off the rim. No clue how he misfired on that shot. You don’t see that from him very often. Donic finds Aiden over Joic. And there’s Aiden on the assist from Donic. Yeah, this is where Aiden’s comfortable operating, using his height and array of inside moves to his advantage. A chance here to catch up with Ally from the sideline. Michael Malone and I spoke for a few minutes. I asked him if he thinks anyone has a better feel for the game than Luca Donic, and he told me I don’t want to get into a comparison, but what I can say is that he controls the pace like no one else. You can’t speed him up. You can’t slow him down, guys. Okay, good stuff. Thank you, Ally. Now, here’s Donic. Aiden, a screen on Murray to the middle. Oh, and the jam by Aiden. Hard to stop Aiden once he gets moving downhill. The Nuggets have gone two of three from the floor. Murray scanning the floor. Pass to Yic. Here’s Strawler. He’s covered by Reeves. Here’s Strawler. Down to five on the shot clock. Here’s Murray. Rebounded by the Lakers. Left side. Reeds. Gordon pulls it in. That’s the shot you hope for. Right at the rim. Just couldn’t capitalize. So, it’ll be two free throws. He was fouled in the act of shooting. Grant, the Denver Nuggets have been on quite the run here in this window of time. the NBA. It’s all working for Denver in recent years. This is a well constructed team that they play as a unit and it makes it so difficult to try to get the best of them. Shooting two. And the first one at the line is good. So he got them both. You know, Grant, after losing in the first round last season, it felt like changes were inevitable for the Lakers. Yeah. Making the playoffs isn’t enough for that franchise. They are all about championship success and anything short of that is a failure. Now here’s Aiden. Now James off target with the free throw line. Jade got to move past that one. I mean they want him to take that again. Yeah, it’s a great look for him. One they’ll try and manufacture again. Those are the shots you want him to take. Here’s Aimura and the officials whistle a foul on the shot. The bucket is good and he’ll go to the line. High IQ pass by LeBron. He reads the floor and gets it to the open shooter. Los Angeles shooting their first free throw in this game. Rury at the line. free throw good. Aimura and so it’s Michael Malone here calling timeout. I think right now he must be looking at some adjustments. Another one for your heart. Get loud and let it hear it. Let’s go, friends. I want to hear you get loud right now. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. About 3 minutes gone in the first quarter. Murray passes to Joic. Here’s Strawler. Here’s Brown. Pass to Strawler. Here’s Yic. And here’s Gordon from the arc. They get it back. Back to Joic. Another shot. Yes. And it’s Murray picking up the assist. And Joic doesn’t get a lot of lift on his shot, but he doesn’t need it. I mean, he is money in the mid-range. Donic passes to James. Pass to Reeves. And here’s Donic. Gets some space and burries the jumper starting to find his rhythm. He’s cooking and he knows it. Yeah, when he gets engaged this early in the game, it’s bad news for the defense. He can roll this start throughout the rest of the game. Now, here’s Gordon. No made baskets yet. Back to Murray. fires for three and Aiden pulls it down. The Lakers in the lead. Donic with it. Hayden against Joic. And there’s James from the arc. Nails it from three. Look, when LeBron James is hitting his three from that spot, look, this offense completely opens up. Gordon outside. Murray a screen on James. James against Gordon. And there’s the drive and Gordon with the big finish. Oh, an explosive finisher. Gordon is also skilled at staying in control and finishing through contact. Now here’s Reeds. Pass to James and Los Angeles. Another three. He’s consistent from out there, especially when you give him that kind of room. Nuggets trail by six. Outside Murray. Here’s Strawler from the arc. LeBron with the rebound. Murray against Donic. over Murray and there’s another one for the Lakers. They’ve been the more poised team tonight and the score reflects that and it’s because Murray passes to Brown. Gordon with a screen on Donic. Murray with it. Picked up by James and so he draws the foul headed to the line to shoot a pair. Well, Grant, when you think of Jamal Murray and all he’s been through, health is of utmost importance for him. Oh, extremely important, BA, because when Murray is healthy, he’s a lethal player and a huge part of this team’s success. And he makes a first. You know, I just love the moxy Murray has to his game. He’s so fast and supremely confident. rebel. Let’s get it. Get it. Get it. And he makes both free throws. Making shots at the line. You need a good routine and he certainly has one. Outside. Reeves. Joic against Aiden. I see him. Aimura outside. James outside. Four on the clock. And the layup is good off the glass. James has got eight points. Yeah, just too much big boy basketball by LeBron James. Just bodying defenders inside. Back to Murray. Up it over Donic and that’s out of bounds. Last touch by Joic and let’s send it over to Alli Leforce. Aaron Gordon fits perfectly with this team because of his lunch pale approach. Coach Michael Malone. I think Aaron Gordon is a prime example of somebody who’s truly selfless. He does the dirty work for us and a lot of times he doesn’t get the credit he deserves. Brian, not today. That’s right. Good call, Ally. Thank you. Donic outside the offensive rebound. James passes to Aimura. Donic on the wing over Murray. Donic outside. Donic is doubled. James outside from deep. Reeves. Gordon pulls it in. Nuggets trail by eight. And here’s Joic as to Murray. Back to Joic. Oh, rejected by Eightton. So difficult to shoe over. Eighton proving it with that rejection. And the fans love seeing incredible moments on defense like that block. Yeah, just some terrific effort there. And you know, the whole team will get an energy boost off a block like that. Johnson. He’s checked in for Nicole Joic. And the Lakers also making a switch. Smarts checked in. Shot clock at five. And there’s the lob. It’s stolen by James. Outside Reeves James deciding where to go with it. Pass to Smart. Six on the shot clock and there’s James on the assist from Smart. James has got 10 points. Boy, I like their energy coming in. Terrific execution so far. couldn’t come up with a much better start than this. They just have to keep it going. Here’s Strawler. He’s got five. Fires the three. That’s a foul called on Cameron Johnson. That’s his first foul. This is why you always have to chase guys off the arc because everyone has a three-point shot. Los Angeles leading by seven. Smart passes to Reeds to the inside. Here’s Aiden. Out to James. Lets it go from deep. Sinks it from distance. 13 points in the game. When you’re guarding LeBron, you have to give him something. So the King, well, he’ll take a three-point basket. Gordon outside. Back to Murray. Rebounded by the Lakers. Here’s James. No good. A bit long that time. Well, okay. Well, I like his aggressiveness, but like the defense was waiting on him that time despite the height disadvantage. Oh my. He just attacks that interior. Really unfazed. Throw his height right out the window there. Here’s the floater and he sinks the layup and the Lakers lead by 10. Now, look, a coach is going to trust LeBron James to just put up monster numbers cuz that’s who he is. But it is nice to see him get into a nice groove like this. Now, here’s Gordon. The ball’s knocked loose. Pass to Brown. Murray against Smart. Lets the three fly and Aiden pulls it down. Aiden’s got four rebounds now. Smart against Murray. James outside, kept alive. Defense has no good answer for eight there. So they come at the big man and foul. And a chance for a moment to check out the scoring breakdown for Los Angeles. So far, they haven’t had to force anything. They’re swinging the ball around and turning good passing into points. And another thing they’ve done is look to shoot from the mid-range often. So far, it’s really paying off for them. The first one falls. And I love the footwork possesses. It’s what makes him so dangerous close to the rim. A different look for Denver. Jordan’s checked in for Gordon. Watson comes in for Brown. And it’s Picket in for Straw. Cadex checked in for the Lakers. Vincent comes in for Reeves. Aiden hits them both. Some big guys struggle at the line. Not him. He’s put in the work to defy that assumption. Smart against Murray. Jordan with a screen on Smart down low. Pass slam. No by Jordan. So dangerous in the pick and roll. Murray moving that ball, creating for others. Los Angeles leading by 10. Pass to Aiden. And here’s James. Covered by Johnson. Double team on James. Smart passes to Vincent. Kicks it out to Smart. Here’s James on the wing. Covered by Johnson. And the whistle blows as the basket counts. Chance at a three-point opportunity here. One free throw coming up. This will be his third free throw of the game. A different look for Denver. Nicole Joic has checked in for Jordan and Chonchar subbed in for Jamal Murray. The Lakers also with a sub. Donic checked in. That’s good from Aiden. Nuggets trail by 13. Now here’s Watson. Pass to Joic. Joic with a screen on Smart. Here’s Pickicket. That shot off. Smart with the defensive effort. And here’s Smart. He’ll bring it up for the Lakers. Right. Right. 116 left in the first. Five on the clock. Donic outside. And once again, off the mark by Los Angeles. Denver has gone just two for six from the arc here in the first. And what an impressive move to the rim. He’s really trying to fire up his teammates right now. Boy, it’s not hard to feel inspired after a teammate makes that kind of finish. And that could be the spark they needed to make a little run as they try to even this thing up. Eight passes to Donic. And there’s a whistle. He’ll head to the line to shoot two. And you can’t let Donic get this type of positioning because then you’re pretty much forced to foul him. Los Angeles shooting their fifth and six free throw attempts tonight. at the line for two. And he knocks down the first one. And Donas is a walking triple double threat. His versatility and confidence is really special. Vanderbilts checked in for DeAndre Aton. So he makes one of two and the second one misses. And while Nicole Joic has lots of years left in this league, he’s already an all-time great brand. You know, BA, not many guys have won multiple MVPs and a title, but Jokic has already accomplished so much. And with his size, the skill set, Joic can be elite for a long time and add to that impressive resume. The Lakers lead by 10. Now 5 seconds, separating the shot clock from the game clock. Vanderbilt to pass to Smart. There’s the block. has to pick it inside and Jokic throws it down. And if you try to block his shot, you risk getting posterized because he is good by using the time to his advantage. And so it’s LeBron James making things happen for Los Angeles. An insane quarter. No one could stop him. More 2K action in just a moment. And for those of you just tuning in, second quarter action is where we are. What do you guys think about Los Angeles here in this one? Well, it’s simple. I mean, they started off strong and they’ve been hot from beyond the arc since the get-go. And as long as the threes are dropping, you’ve got to keep launching them. Los Angeles has gotten three of their seven threes to find the net in this matchup. We’ve got Cameron Johnson. He’s out there with Nicole Yic. And it’s John in at the three spot. That’s the group on the floor for Denver. Donic shot is good. The size and strength of Donic can go overlooked. I mean, he’s more than capable of scoring there in the paint. Pass to Joic. Johnson against Vanderbilt. Now, here’s Watson tightly guarded. And this is a star-driven league. But talk about the importance of role players, Grant. Oh, BA. A lot of times they’re the ones who carry the day. You know what you’ll get from your stars, but when the X factor ignites, that can make the difference. Denver shooting their fifth and six free throws of the game. Take a break. Take a break. Two shots. Rebound. Let’s get it. Get it. Get it. Right here. right here. That one’s off. miss. How about you? Andy’s good on the second. Los Angeles leading by nine. Smart passes to Donic. from downtown. John with a rebound. The Nuggets shooting 53%. Good efficiency on offense so far. Pass to Johnson. Joic with it. Back to Johnson. Here’s Pickicket. Rebound. The Lakers. 13 points was their biggest lead of the game. To the paint. Here’s Vanderbilt. And Vanderbilt slams it in. While he’s a bit undersized for a fourth, he more than makes up for it with his bounce. Here’s Picket. No points yet. To the left wing. He shoots. Shot is good off the back rim and in. Yeah, great pass to Joic when he’s ready to fire and then he’s straight into his motion. Donic outside and Luca cashes in from long distance. Got to fight harder to get over those screens. Yeah, as soon as these guys feel contact, they are just disappearing like they’re not even there. You got to show some fire and keep defending. Johnson. Here’s Joic and Joic throws it down. So listen, I mean whether you put a body on Joic or you don’t, he will sneak in there for a second chance opportunity. Smart passes to Donic. Launches it. Denver grabs the miss. Joic has got rebound number five here tonight. Here’s Pickicket. He’s checked by Clea. Pass to Chonchar outside Watson. Smart against Joic. Joic is doubled. Here’s Pickicket. Offensive board. Oh, that’s too easy for Joic when he gets inside position. And Joic has a number of moves to choose from, especially deep inside. Smart looking around. Pass to Clea. Now Donic defended by Watson. Rebounded by Denver. Joic has got his seventh rebound of the game with that last one to the middle. Here’s Picket. The Nuggets need to get one up from deep Johnson. It’s hauled in by Luca Donuch. Would you say testing the limits of his range there? Yeah, he might have been feeling himself a little too much on that one. He can hit it, but not consistent. Smart passes to Donic down low. Kicks it out to Smart. Lets it fly. Rebounded by Johnson. Nuggets trail by eight. Watson. Passes to Chart to the inside. Pick it. That shot is off. Good D by Dantic. Stop the drought. Luca lethal. Encouraging to see Donic sink the three. Needs to keep doing this now inside and stolen by Vanderbilt to the middle and connect gets it to go on the assist from Donic. Donic has got three assists in the game. The Nuggets have gotten five of eight attempts to drop since the second began. Milk with a screen on Smart. Pass to Chonchar. The three is up. Knocks down the triple. Char’s got five. You give a shooter of his caliber that much time to seam it up. Oh yeah, you’re done. And so it’s Smart who brings up the ball for the Los Angeles Lakers. 10-point lead. Time now to hear from our reporter Ally Leforce. KBA. The Denver Nuggets are building for the long haul. Their philosophy has been to draft polished prospects and then develop them into contributors. They look for four qualities. Basketball IQ, character, positional size, and the absence of skilled deficiencies. Ryan, the track record has been strong. It really has. Thanks, Alec. And it’s good. Two points. Jokic has got eight points here in the quarter. This right here, this is how you want to play the game with passion, with energy, just great hustle. play right there. Look, that’s going to happen. Smart gets in there with those trees. If you’re a little too aggressive, things can happen. Los Angeles shooting their seventh and eighth attempts at the foul line tonight. And that one falls for Smart. And Denver will go for a different look here. Aaron Gordon’s checked in for Johnson. Brown comes in for Chonchar. Straw’s checked in for Watson. And Murray subbed in for Picket. Nuggets trail by 10. Now Murray and he’s going for the uke here. Stolen by Eightton. Pass break. Here come the Lakers. Oh, LeBron hammers it home. Yeah, the forced turnover showing how Aiden’s developing defensively. Huh. Ignites the break there. The Nuggets have gone five of 10 in the second quarter. Gordon outside. Murray. A screen on James. Back to Murray. Pass to Yic. Here’s Strawler. Three-pointer. The shot no good. Now here’s Hachimura. Defense is right there. It’s tipped. Ooh, stolen by Murray. Back come the Nuggets on the run. Here’s Strother. And they’re going to count that bucket and they’ll send him to the line. It could be a three-point play. He hears the whistle and he keeps his concentration and is able to knock it down. Denver shooting their seventh free throw attempt here. Second team foul at the line for one. Starter. One shot. Los Angeles leading by nine. Donic with it. 15 points in the game. Pass to Reeves. That one falls. He’s now one for three. And the dime going to Aton. expanding the passing part of his game. And it’s Murray with the ball for the Denver Nuggets. Jokic with a screen on Donic. Now here’s Joic. There’s the triple. It’s good. And the assist goes to Murray. Murray’s got three assists in the game. The way he can elevate over a defender from deep, very tough to contain outside the arc. And here’s Donic. down low. Here’s Aiden. Good D by Joic. Look, the defense was locked in on him there. They know how dangerous he can be and they guarded him perfectly. Back to Murray. Ooh, the lead pass was in the perfect spot to set up the layup. Skilled finish by Murray. He can score inside and outside. Really anywhere on the court. Reeds the pass to Dodic. Back to Reeds. Donic outside. Pocket six. Luca, get off me. And their offense tonight is Luca. Luca and more Luca. When he’s on, it’s an opponent’s worst nightmare. Gordon. The pass to Joic. Here’s Strawler. Here’s Brown. Pass to Schwer. Murray with it. Up and over. Donic. Aimura with a rebound. Aimura’s got his fourth rebound in this one. Oh, stolen by Murray. Now Joic. Pass to Strawler. Six to shoot. Misses the three. Los Angeles leading by eight. James inside. Defended by Gordon. With the fadeaway and it’s good off the back of the rim and in. James has got 19 points. A real threat from the in between area. LeBron wastes no time firing when he gets to that spot. Back to Murray. Gordon outside. Pass to Jookic. Shoots over Aiden. And again, it’s Denver missing. Los Angeles has gone five of 12 from three-point range tonight. Now here’s Reeds. Not a lot of room to the inside. Second shot opportunity and he makes it. Payton’s got 11 points and the defense has no one to blame but themselves. I mean, they just let him get right to the rim. That’s a great possession. Put your best players in a position to succeed. Remaining in the first two. Here’s Donic. Here’s Reeves. Great D that time from Joic. Nuggets trail by 12. Here’s Strawther. Oh, a dunk and a foul. A powerhouse move. He’s got a chance for one more at the line. That one on. Donic Vincent checked in for the Lakers. That’s his first personal foul. 13 fouls at the line for Denver. Strawler shooting one. One shot. Miss here. The Lakers lead by nine. James outside to the paint. Oh, got a piece of it. 133 left in the second period. Pass to Schwer and here’s Yic. Murray from outside. The shot no good. The defense just giving him the easy look there. He’s not going to miss that. James outside. A minute six left in the first half. Reeves the pass to Aimura. Just five on the clock. The Lakers got to get one up. Late clock. The shot by James. No good. Nuggets trail by nine. Outside. Murray. Pass to Strawler. Here’s Murray. He’s covered by Aiden. blows up. Here’s Joic. Jokic using his strength inside. And this is how powerful Joic is. Able to still score despite the contact. Outside Reeves. James a good look. Sinks it from just inside the baseline. James has got 21. The scoring is coming easy for him. Got to keep the ball in his hands. Joic passes to Gordon. Here’s Strawther. Hits the three-pointer. Strawther’s got nine points in the quarter. 15 seconds left in the first half. Now, here is James. 21 points in the game. Takes the three. He can’t get that one to fall. And so it’s Los Angeles leading by six as we wrap up the corner. Just pounding the painted area that’s helped them build an advantage. All right, we’ll get back to the action after this break. And so it’s Donic with it. He brings it up for the Lakers. 13 points was their biggest lead of the game. And so in the game for Los Angeles, Austin Reeves out there with Luca Donic. Then there’s LeBron James. Then it’s Ruachimura and it’s Aiden at the five down low. Look, the moment he gets it anywhere near the hoop, look, it is over. Just too much strength, too much touch either hand. Murray against Donic. Gordon right side left side Murray and it’s going to be a 3second call. We’ve seen more than a few miscues from them tonight. And if they want to come back in this game, look, they got to clean up those mistakes. Los Angeles leading by eight. Pass to Donic. Oh, stolen by Murray. Here’s Brown. Oh, plenty of contact on that shot. Officials call the foul and he’ll take two free throws now. It’s on LeBron James. And even from where we’re sitting, you could clearly tell it was a foul. Two shots. First free throw is good. Let’s get it, get it, get it. He’s off on the second. The Lakers lead by seven. Aimura. The pass to Donic. And Aiden with the stuff. I like how Aiden makes himself a big target on these alleys. Just a quality finish. Payton’s gone. Five of eight from the field. Murray against Donic. It’s Joic high post. Throw it down. Nola and dunking it with authority inside. This is why Joic guys look to feed him down there to the middle. And there’s James on the assist from Donic. James has got 25 points. He’s earning his keep offensively. A key part of their winning effort at this point. Murray with it. Aimura covering for three. Gordon and Aiden pulls it down. Aiden’s got 10 rebounds here tonight. So active. Reeves. The pass to James. And there’s a 3second violation. Second violation. Nuggets trail by nine. Murray passes to Gordon. Back to Murray. Pass to Brown. Back to Murray. Shot clock at six. Brown passes to Murray over Donic. Murray. No good. Got to find easier shots when you’re already struggling. That’s not going to get it. James outside. Donic with it. Defended by Murray. Outside. Reeves. Fires from deep. Rebounded by Denver. Here’s Strawler. 17 points in the game. Oh, wasted no time on that one. Give him 20. And his perimeter shooting might be the key to trimming their deficit. Absolutely. And they have to continue to go to him. Outside Reeves. Here’s Aimura. Brown grabs a board. Nuggets trail by six. Third quarter action. Just under three and a half minutes have passed. Pass to Joic and Joic throws it down. And although he’s undersized, his position is vertical. Yeah, that’ll clean up a few mistakes. Murray against Donic. it. You see the stretch? And how about the handles? Luca has phenomenal at creating scoring opportunities for himself. Pass to Schwer. Gordon against James. Brown passes to Gordon. Now here’s Yic. Murray for three. And Aiden pulls it down. I think he’s gone completely dry. Nothing is hitting. Yeah. And the risk now is that he gets inside his own head. Time to take deep breaths. In through the nose, out through the mouth, and let the game come to you. Murray passes to Gordon. Back to Murray. Here’s Strother. Three-pointer off the mark. Los Angeles leading by eight. Pass to Aimura. Back to James. Up top from behind the ark. Rebounded by Denver. Here’s Strawler. Give him 20. Gordon. The pass to Brown. Here’s the pick. Out to the wing. Now Joic. 23 points in the game. Oh, tough make there from the Joker. looked like he was playing against his little brother out there. The way he just went right over him with his height. Donic passes to Aiden. Pass to Aimura. Donic with it over Murray. Donic. No good. Donic against Murray. Here’s Brown and he jams it home with authority. And once he gets to the rim, it’s fairly automatic. Nothing fancy right there. Just takes his two points, moves on. Donic against Murray. Donic with it. He’s got 19 over Murray. Oh, Luca like a bull in there with the allaround impact he makes. If he can stay healthy, Donic could win multiple MVPs. He’s got those special kind of gifts to the left side wing. Brown passes to Murray. Joic with a screen on Donic. Murray from outside drills it from deep. Murray’s got seven points. So active on offense. Murray doing it himself. Outside Reeves back to Donic. Count the basket and the foul. It’s going to be on Jamal Murray and going right through the contact. Luca has tremendous strength, especially for a guy who handles the ball so much. Johnson. He’s checked in for Brown. And the Lakers also making a switch. Smarts checked in for Aimura. One shot. Nuggets trail by six. Murray passes to Joic. Now Gordon. Jookic with a screen on Smart. Just five to shoot. Murray passes to Joic. Fires the three. It’s rebounded by Los Angeles. Donic has got four rebounds now. 43. Joic grabs the board. Joic has got 13 rebounds in the game. Glass eating. Pass to Gordon. Oh, the bucket’s good. And he’ll have a chance at one more. It’s going to be on DeAndre Aton. And fouling Gordon won’t necessarily stop him from scoring. He’s not afraid to get physical with opponents. And let’s take a moment to get your take, guys, on the scoring so far for Los Angeles. Look, they’re getting good looks inside. It’s been a point of emphasis all night long, but I love this hard-nosed attitude of this team. Yeah. Something else I love that they’re doing is driving into the lane and getting the shots they want in penetration. And that one misses. And talking about Gordon, just a freak athlete and ferocious dunker, a valuable role player on this team. Pass to Reeves. James, a screen on Johnson. Donic outside. Here’s the three. That is Jordan with the rebound. Given his range, you’d expect him to capitalize on that open. Murray passes to Gordon. Pass to Strawler. Gordon with it. The three. Strawther. No good. From deep. Here’s Donic. Burries it from three. Donic has got 27. I like when Donic goes right up with it. giving the defense no time to react. And so it’s Michael Malone here calling timeout. He The Nuggets have gotten seven of 14 attempts to fall in the half inside. Here’s Jordan. Oh, and makes it with the kiss. Assertive move. You can tell the game’s heating up a bit. And so Smart will bring it up for the Lakers. 13 points was their biggest lead of the game. Pass to Vanderbilt. Now here’s Donic defended by Watson. Donic no good. Nuggets trail by five. Outside Murray outside Johnson from deep. Donic pulls down the board. Dodic has got rebound number five here tonight. Smart with the ball guarded down by Watson. A minute 35 left in the third from deep Johnson. They grabbed their own miss. Here’s Chonchar. No good from outside and the shooter had very little space on that attempt. I’m sure they’ll think twice about shooting against him next time. They get the rebound. Smart for three and Smart nails the triple. Just such a quick release there by Marcus Smart. You love to see that just catch, touch, and release. Watson passes to Murray and Marcus Smart picks up the foul. Marcus, that’s his first foul. Vincent’s checked in for Don. Lakers substitution number seven, Gabe Vincent. 102 left in the third quarter. Pass to Jordan. Five to shoot. Here’s Chonchar. And here’s Jordan. Guarded by Vanderville. The put back. Great positioning on the put back. The jam not only shows Jordan’s length, but also his oops IQ. It’s hard to line up a put back like that. Smart passes to Vincent. Back to Smart. 34 seconds left in the third quarter. I like that. I mean, some physical play inside. He’s not about to give up any easy baskets. This is second trip to the line in the game. Shooting from Los Angeles. Marcus Smart taking two shots. Shooting two. The first free throw is good. And so Smart nails them both. Nuggets trail by eight now. 8 seconds separating the two clocks. Outside Watson on the wing. Murray. Six on the shot clock. He buries it from three. Murray’s got six here in the corner. Wow. Murray making the deep shot look just easy. I mean, that’s a real testament to his accuracy. Vanderbilt a screen on Johnson and James puts up a deep three. Oh, no good on the last second attempt there. Oh, what a performance by Luca Donic. He has been the story for Los Angeles. 27 on the night. He’s had it his way. And more NBA action on 2K Sports coming your way right after this. And it’s time to bring up the State Farm assist of the game. Talk about painting a magnificent picture with that dime. Just a great decision and a perfect delivery. A lot of times a spectacular pass is more impressive than a spectacular shot. This is one of those times. Three tense quarters behind us. One more to go. Thanks for being with us as we get ready for the fourth. Aiden Watson is out there with Cameron Johnson. Then there’s Nicole Joic and it’s Chonchar in at the three. That’s the group on the floor for Denver. The Lakers lead by five. Here’s Connect to the wing right side. And here’s Vanderbilt from the ark. Rebounded by Denver. Yic is and Denver shooting it well. Almost 50% from the floor. Watson rebound. The Lakers. Vanderbilt’s got four rebounds now. Here’s Vincent. And a strong finish with two hands. And he just driving the stake in him there. He’s a guy just never lets up. And that finish shows you how dangerous he can be as a passer and a finisher. Pass to Joic. Shoots over Clea and he buries that one back rim and in. Jookic has got 27. And this is just typical of him. Always making an impact at crucial moments in the game. And his team needs every bit of his production if they want to pull this one out. It is neck and neck here in the final period. Here’s connect now. Donic and he drops it in from the low post. That’s 29 for him. Breakd down for the defenders and you can’t ask for an easier bucket than that. Left side Watson. Kick by Holmes. Watson passes to Yic. Fires it. The shot by Johnson. No good. And the defense was right on him there. Nice contest. Kicks it to Donic. And this team’s offensive catalyst. Donic puts pressure on the defense every possession. First team foul shooting from Los Angeles. Donic. Two shots. Shooting two. No good on that one. A different look for Denver. Naji comes in for Holmes and Strawther subbed in for Chonchar. And the Lakers also making a change. Reeves is checked in. and he sinks the second. Nuggets trail by eight. A touch under two and a half minutes to pass now here in the fourth. And the dunk by Jokic. Hey, kept it simple. No reason to get fancy right now, PA. Yeah, he’s just looking to find shots and produce for his team. Benson passes to Reed and he got the whistle on the way up. So, he’ll be headed to the line for a pair. That’s his fourth person. Second team, shooting from Los Angeles. Re two shots. Take a break. Take a break. two shots. And that one falls for Reeves. And so Reeves nails both of them. Nuggets trail by eight. Here’s Strawler outside. Watson pass to Joic and they double up Joic. Four on the clock. Here’s Naji. Reigns the triple. Nice pass by Cam Johnson. Keeping his eyes up, letting things unfold. And Reeves has got the ball here for Los Angeles. 13 points was their biggest lead of the game. Donic on the wing. Got a hand on it outside. Johnson. Fourth quarter of play and over 3 and 1/2 minutes have gone by now. Pass to Sherther. Oh, and he got fouled on his way up. He’ll head to the line to shoot two. That’s his first. Jared Vanderbelt picks one up. Well, that was clearly a foul. At the line for Denver taking two shots. Eddie drops a first. that misses. So he splits the free throws. Just a tough miss at the line. They’re down two baskets now. Johnson for three. Rebounded by the Lakers. And here’s Reeves. Donic outside. Pass to Vanderbilt. They set a pick to the inside. Here’s Reeves. and good on the sevenfooter and the Lakers lead by six. Love to see him inside passing like this as well as guys being on the same page. Now Joic, he’s checked by Clea. Joic is doubled outside Watson. Pass to Strawler. And here’s Yic. Shoots over Clea and it’s Joic missing. Vincent outside. Here’s Cleba. Covered by Joic. Cleba against Joic. Cleba passes to Vincent. Clebba with it. Over Joic. Clea shot is off. Nuggets trail by six. Pass to Strawler. Now here’s Watson. Naji sets a screen. Watson with it. Now Vanderbilt defending. Uses the glass on the layup. And you want him taking good shots at this point in the game. And that one was easy. Yeah, it’s clear why they go to him in these moments. They know he’s going to deliver for it. And here’s Donic outside. He drops it from range. Donic has got six here in the corner. You give a shooter of his caliber that much time to seam it up. Oh yeah, you’re done. Over to the left wing. Here’s Joic. Oh, and there’s the whistle on the shot. So, two free throws for him coming up. That’s a bit. It’s Joic with the ball for the Nuggets. They trail by six. Uses the glass to finish the layup. Gilkich has got seven now in this quarter. Oh, that’s a big bucket. Putting the offense on his shoulders right there. Pass to Vincent. Here’s James. Now here’s Aiden. And here’s Reeves. Shot clock at five. The three not going to go that time. Nuggets trail by four and he lobbs it up and Gordon with the big finish. Oh, this is Gordon at his best. Flying through the air and hammering home Alioops with a little style. Pass to Dun back to Reeds. Aton with it. Covered by Yic. Aton passes to Donic. 11 ft out. Jump shot is good. Donic has got 18 points now here in the second half. And there’s Luca, one of the most entertaining players in the league. Now Johnson, Gordon outside. There’s the three. Drops in the three. And the defense is looking almost lost on the perimeter. That opens up a quality three-point shot and he delivers. Big three right there, especially at this point in the game. Here’s Donic. Count it. Donic has got 37. Oh my. Tight defense, but Donic just muscles it in. Outside. Murray. Johnson on the wing. Yic with a screen on Reeves. Here’s Johnson. And there are the Nuggets with another bucket. Going to work in the mid-range. This is how confident Johnson is from this area. Reeves. The pass to Aiden. And that one’s good with extra effort on the glass and the Lakers lead by three. Now, what’s the saying? Don’t box out. Get your feelings hurt. The kick out to Johnson. That balls. Nice feed from Joic. Johnson’s got five points now in this quarter. Their strategy has been pretty simple here in the second half. Attack from three-point range. And you see this so much more nowadays. Team putting a larger emphasis on jacking up threes. Here’s Vincent. And they come right back with their own three-pointer. And that’s how you up the ante. Come right back at him. Yeah, I love the competitive fire right there. You drain a triple on us and I’m coming for my revenge. And timeout is called by Michael Malone. He’s looking to make some very important adjustments here. It’s that time of the game. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Brown checked in for the Nuggets and the Lakers also making a switch. Aimura’s checked in for Vincent. The Lakers on D. 13 points was their biggest lead of the game. Murray inside guarded by Donic. Payton with the defensive effort. The Lakers lead by three. Here’s Aimura and he gets the friendly roll as that one goes. You can tell Donic trusts his teammates. He’ll get them looks and doesn’t insist on doing everything himself. Now Murray up and over Dod on the 14-footer and this is why they go to Murray in critical spots of the game. He just knows how to come through. Back to Donic. Two minutes remaining in the two. Eight. A screen on Murray from deep. Here’s Donic. Denver grabs the miss. Jokic has got his 16th rebound on the night. Here’s Murray. The shot won’t fall. Oh, great key that time from Donic. with the teardrop. Jokic grabs the board. Jokic has got rebound number 17 if you can believe that outside. Murray down low. Joic is down. And how about a trick move by the big man? I mean nice thumb fake from Joic. 13 at the line number two. Good on the first and that brings him within two here. Both good from the line that time tight game. He is exactly moving by that line. And Donic has got the ball here for Los Angeles. And you can count it. He’ll go to the line with a chance at a three-point play. Clutch play by Donic. He’s been doing this since he was a kid. and the free throw. No good. Nuggets trail by three. Pass to Murray. This one for three. Long target from range. Murray’s got five points in the quarter. Some players shrink in the pressure zone, but he lives for these moments. Los Angeles has got two of five threes to go here in the fourth. Donic passes to Aiden. Second chance shot and it’s in. Great to see guys who don’t back down under pressure. He knew what they needed here and was determined to deliver on outside Murray to the middle. Cash a huge shot to tie it out. And we’ve got a timeout called by JJ Reic and a great call on his part. This is the time you want to be in safe right here. It’s time for the dance. Get ready to see yourself. Let’s go. 36 seconds left to play in the fourth. Payton with a screen from deep. Here’s Donic. Gordon pulls it in. Important possession here. We’ll see how they execute under pressure. Dic against Murray. Just five to shoot to take the lead. Here’s Brown. He’s off from three. Time expires. We’re going to overtime. And we’ve got more action coming your way after this break. Well, four quarters were enough to decide this ball game. Sit back and enjoy as we move on to overtime. Donic with it. We’ve got Austin Reeds. Ruy Hachimura is out there with James. Then it’s DeAndre Aton. And it’s Donic in at the one spot to the paint. It’s good. Donic. Donic has got 41. This has been the story of the game. A battle fought on offense. Yeah, but I think it’s going to come down to who can get the stop down strike because that’s who’s going to come away with this one. Get Yic high post and here’s Gordon from the ark. Donic pulls down the board. Donic has got seven rebounds in the game. Rebound by the Nuggets. Jokic has got his 18th rebound here tonight. all over the place. Pass to Strawther. Wide open look and he gets it to go. Hitting off the back of the rim. Strawther’s got 23. The Lakers shooting around 51%. That’s a good number. James passes to Aton. Here’s Donic. Rebounded by Denver. Brown’s got four rebounds in the game. Here’s Murray. James with the block. And Braun with the blocks. Look, the shooters are working hard, but he is all over the place. Oh, and the jam by Aton. I just love the aggressive finish. I’m thinking he’s sending a strong message with that jam. Back to Murray to take the lead. Rebound by the Lakers. 13 points was their biggest lead of the game. Pass to James and he can’t get that one. Good work defensively by Gordon. Here’s Strawler. Fat balls. Nice feed from Jookic. Strawler’s gotten four this quarter. The court awareness on full display. Joic is such a unique big man outside. Reeves to the inside. Here’s James. It’s hauled in by Nicole Yokic. Denver has gone 0 for two from deep. Not what they need this overtime. Just over two and a half minutes in OT in this exciting contest. Down to five on the shot clock. Pass to Strawer. Gordon outside to take the lead. Some solid defense from James. And here’s Donic. He’ll bring it up for the Los Angeles Lakers. High arcing shot. Gilkich grabs the board. The Nuggets have gone a rocky two for six so far at OT. pass to Strawler the screen. Here’s Strawler. He’s covered by Reeves. Back to Bordon. Here’s Brown and unable to get the go-ahead bucket there. And the Lakers shooting 29% since OT. Not what they’re hoping for. Re pass to Aiden. Back to Reeds. Donic on the wing. Here’s James. James, a freak train coming. I’m sorry. Just who else would you wanted shooting there? LeBron James just so calm under pressure inside. And they double up Joic. He’s proud. Oh, nails the triple. Well, if they’re doubling you, then you know someone is open to shoot. So, smart move passing it out. Throws it up high. Pass to Yic. Oh, he nails it and tie game. Huge basket right there. And so JJ Reick calls for the timeout. The pressure is on and he’s got a plan to share with his guys. Donic against Murray. Here’s Reeves outside. Strawther grabs a miss. So it’s Denver now. Pass to Brown. Now Murray Strawler. The three is up. They get it again. They kick it out to Murray. About 3 seconds between the shot clock and the game clock. Noic with a screen on James. Just five on the clock. And so JJ Reick calls for the timeout. There is a lot on the line and he is determined to make sure everyone’s on the same page. Let’s hear from our analysts. Give us your take on the strategy being discussed right now. If they leave the ark open, take it. But it may be safer to get a quick two and then foul. Yeah, time is the enemy at this point. So, I think I’d go for the tie and avoid playing the foul game. So, it’s Los Angeles now. They trail by three. That’s the free to fall. Hey everybody, that’s execution off an inbounds play. And timeout is called by Michael Malone. Great time to call his guys into the huddle at a very tense moment in this game. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. for the win. Gone from downtown. What a shot. They may take a second look at it. The officials do need to look at the replay. So, the basket may count after all. We’ll see. No guarantee this outcome is going to remain the same. And the call just came in. The basket was too late. And this crazy game just keeps on going. At first, I thought maybe he did get it off in time, but I’ll tell you, the cameras don’t lie. And here we go again. Another overtime. Another tie. And we’re going to have a second overtime. And we’ll return shortly. And as we play on into another overtime, you know, these teams must be wearing down. It’s become a battle of attrition. Here’s Murray. Gordon outside. Pass to Brown outside. Murray tries to break his ice. That falls. Nice feed from Joic. Getting the ball inside. Usually a pretty good wrestler. Murray against Donic. Pulls up high post. Ooh, lands soft on the front of the rim and drops in. Donic has got 46. There is no chance that this game is tied up without his offensive firepower. To the middle. Stolen by Aton. Oh, deflected. Gordon with a steal. Pass to Brown. Back to Murray. Jookic with a screen on Aimura. Murray passes to Joic. Here’s Brown. Guarded by Donic. Clock at four. Here’s Joic. It’s hauled in by Luca Donuch. Donic has got rebound number eight now. Beyond the ark. Counted from distance. And it’s a three-point Los Angeles lead. Using that change of pace off the dribble, Donic gets the shots he wants. Murray up top. Guarded by Dantic. Here’s Tro and he can’t answer back. The three-pointer offline. Los Angeles leading by three. Wow. Potent offense. It’s been fun to watch. Just aggressive and effective. Taking it right to the defense. A sloppy turnover. When you’re not locked in, you pay the price. Boy, this offense has been dynamic and diversified. Just everyone sharing the ball and sharing the load makes you difficult to defend. And Jokic throws it down. He is just an excellent pick and roll option. Joic always uses his high basketball IQ to find and execute the right play. Aiden, a screen on Murray from deep. Here’s Donic. It’s hauled in by the Nuggets. Strawther’s got his fifth rebound in this one to the inside. Joic. Nice dish and the layup goes down. Joic has got 42 in the game. And so James will bring it up for the Los Angeles Lakers. Pass to Aiden. Now here’s Donic and it’s good. He hits another one and that gives him 51. Making it look easy. The Nuggets trail and here’s Murray. Gordon outside. That’s the stroller over Reeves. And the Nuggets getting another bucket to fall. I doubt that’s what they were looking for, but it works out. And for Los Angeles, they’re shooting a nice 50% for the game. Donic against Murray. Donic. Good. Donic has got 53 points. Nuggets shooting 53%. Good efficiency on offense so far. Pass to Joic. Yic. Easy over the top. Yeah, there’s that guard touch of Joic. Simply incredible for a man his size. Donic against Murray. Let’s go with a three. Luca Donic again. Donic has got 56 in the game. That’s a move you won’t see many guys make. Impressive stuff. Down low. Here’s Jookic. Pass to Sher. The three balls. Goes back up. He connects and he’s tied it up. What a shot. Now here’s D. Yes, showing off the dribble moves. Able to create for himself. I love it. And so it’s Michael Malone here calling timeout. Critical moment here. He’s not taking any chances. Outside Murray pass to Sher three-pointer knocks down the long cage. The combo guard Murray capable of hurting you with his scoring as well as with his passing. And so JJ Reick calls for the timeout. There is a lot on the line and he is determined to make sure everyone’s on the same page. All right. What are the considerations at this late juncture? And there’s enough time on the clock to go for a two for one. He finds a shooter in motion and is confident he can threaten the lead. Well done. 5second differential between the shot clock and game clock to the paint. Here’s Jookic. It’s called in by Luca Donic. And they foul intentionally. Now they’re going to have to do that again. They’re not in the penalty just yet. Yeah. And that was a smart move. I mean, you have to foul right there. You just don’t want them to run out the clock. Here’s Dunin. And an intentional foul right there. That’s his second. So, the first one drops and that’ll put him up two for the Lakers. Two shots. Spanny hits both free throws here and it’s a three-point game. And those were some big time shots. Those free throws helping make this a three-point game. Murray passes to Joic and no good. Oh, great D that time from Donic. And an intentional foul there stops the clock. He drops the first one and that gives him a four-point cushion. And so he drops them both and it’s a five-point game. Making no mistakes and putting some extra nails in the coffin right here. That pretty much do it. And another miss by Denver. So we see the Lakers get the Heat. Heat. You know, BA, it typically means we’ll get a clean game. These guys have been around for a while and know how to take care of the basketball. So, let’s take a look at the Los Angeles Lakers starting lineup. Ruy Hachimura is out there with LeBron James. Then, it’s DeAndre Aton. Then it’s Austin Reeves and it’s Don Jin at the one. Yep, that one goes. Got to fight harder to get over those screens. Yeah, as soon as these guys feel contact, they are just disappearing like they’re not even there. You got to show some fire and keep defending. Now here’s Reeds. Eighton passes to Donic. That one’s good from the corner. He’s just ridiculous. He is just an absolute surgeon when he has the ball. This man is surgical. There is no way to slow him down when he wants to score. Here’s Murray. Pass to Gordon. Here’s Joic. That’s short off the rim. No clue how he misfired on that shot. You don’t see that from him very often. Donic finds Aiden over Joic. And there’s Aiden on the assist from Donic. Yeah, this is where Aiden’s comfortable operating, using his height and array of inside moves to his advantage. A chance here to catch up with Ally from the sideline. Michael Malone and I spoke for a few minutes. I asked him if he thinks anyone has a better feel for the game than Luca Donic, and he told me I don’t want to get into a comparison, but what I can say is that he controls the pace like no one else. You can’t speed him up. You can’t slow him down, guys. Okay, good stuff. Thank you, Ally. Now, here’s Donic. Aiden. A screen on Murray to the middle. Oh, and the jam by Aton. Hard to stop Aiden once he gets moving downhill. The Nuggets have gone two of three from the floor. Murray scanning the floor. Pass to Joic. Here’s Strawler. He’s covered by Reeves. Here’s Strawler. Down to five on the shot clock. Here’s Murray. Rebounded by the Lakers. Left side. Reeves. Gordon pulls it in. That’s the shot you hope for. Right at the rim. Just couldn’t capitalize. So, it’ll be two free throws. He was fouled in the act of shooting. Grant, the Denver Nuggets have been on quite the run here in this window of time. Yeah, BA, it’s all working for Denver in recent years. This is a well constructed team that they play as a unit and it makes it so difficult to try to get the best of them. Shooting two. And the first one at the line is good. So he gets them both. You know, Grant, after losing in the first round last season, it felt like changes were inevitable for the Lakers. Yeah. Making the playoffs isn’t enough for that franchise. They are all about championship success and anything short of that is a failure. Now here’s Aiden. Now James off target with the free throw line. J got to move past that one. I mean they want him to take that again. Yeah, it’s a great look for him. One they’ll try and manufacture again. Those are the shots you want him to take. Here’s Aimura and the officials whistle a foul on the shot. The bucket is good and he’ll go to the line. High IQ pass by LeBron. He reads the floor and gets it to the open shooter. Los Angeles shooting their first free throw in this game at the line. free throw good. Aimura and so it’s Michael Malone here calling timeout. I think right now he must be looking at some adjustments. Attention. Get your heart. Get loud and let it hear. Let’s go, friends. I want to hear you get loud right now. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. About 3 minutes gone in the first quarter. Murray passes to Joic. Here’s Strawler. Here’s Brown. Pass to Strawler. Yes. And it’s Murray picking up the assist. And Joic doesn’t get a lot of lift on his shot, but he doesn’t need it. I mean, he is money in the mid-range. Donic passes to James. pass to Reeves and here’s Donic. Gets some space and burries the jumper. Starting to find his rhythm. He’s cooking and he knows it. Yeah, when he gets engaged this early in the game, it’s bad news for the defense. He can roll this start throughout the rest of the game. Now here’s Gordon. No made baskets yet. Back to Murray. Fires for three and Aiden pulls it down. The Lakers in the lead. Donic with it. Hayden against Joic and there’s James from the arc. Nails it from three. Look when LeBron James is hitting his three from that spot. Look, this offense completely opens up. Gordon outside. Murray a screen on James. James against Gordon. And there’s the drive and Gordon with the big finish. Oh, an explosive finisher. Gordon is also skilled at staying in control and finishing through contact. Now here’s Reeds. Pass to James and Los Angeles. Another three. He’s consistent from out there, especially when you give him that kind of room. Nuggets trail by six. Outside Murray. Here’s Strawler from the arc. LeBron with the rebound. Murray against Donic. Over Murray. And there’s another one for the Lakers. They’ve been the more poised team tonight and the score reflects that and it’s because Murray passes to Brown. Gordon with a screen on Donic. Murray with it. Picked up by James and so he draws the foul headed to the line to shoot a pair. Well, Grant, when you think of Jamal Murray and all he’s been through, health is of utmost importance for him. Oh, extremely important, BA, because when Murray is healthy, he’s a lethal player and a huge part of this team’s success. And he makes a first. You know, I just love the moxy Murray has to his game. He’s so fast and supremely confident. rebound. Let’s get it. Good. And he makes both free throws. Making shots at the line. You need a good routine and he certainly has one. Outside Reeves Joic against Aiden. Aimura outside. James outside. Four on the clock and the layup is good off the glass. James has got eight points. Yeah, just too much big boy basketball by LeBron James. Just bodying defenders inside. Back to Murray. Up and over. Donic and that’s out of bounds. Last touch by Joic. And let’s send it over to Alli Leforce. Aaron Gordon fits perfectly with this team because of his lunch pale approach. Coach Michael Malone said, “I think Aaron Gordon is a prime example of somebody who’s truly selfless. He does the dirty work for us and a lot of times he doesn’t get the credit he deserves.” Brian, not today. That’s right. Good call, Ally. Thank you. Donic outside the offensive rebound. James passes to Aimura. Donic on the wing over Murray. Donic outside. Donic is doubled. James outside from deep. Reeves. Gordon pulls it in. Nuggets trail by eight. And here’s Joic. Pass to Murray. Back to Joic. Oh, rejected by Eightton. So difficult to shoe over. Eighton proving it with that rejection. And the fans love seeing incredible moments on defense like that block. Yeah, just some terrific effort there. And you know, the whole team will get an energy boost off a block like that. Johnson. He’s checked in for Nicole Joic. And the Lakers also making a switch. Smarts checked in. Shot clock at five. And there’s the lob. It’s stolen by James. Outside Reeves. James deciding where to go with it. Pass to Smart. Six on the shot clock. And there’s James on the assist from Smart. James has got 10 points. Boy, I like their energy coming in. Terrific execution so far. couldn’t come up with a much better start than this. They just have to keep it going. Here’s Strawler. He’s got five. Fires the three. That’s a foul called on Cameron Johnson. That’s his first foul. This is why you always have to chase guys off the arc because everyone has a three-point shot. Now, Los Angeles leading by seven. Smart passes to Reeds to the inside. Here’s Aiden out to James. Lets it go from deep. Sinks it from distance. 13 points in the game. When you’re guarding LeBron, you have to give him something. So the King, well, he’ll take a three-point basket. Gordon outside. Back to Murray. Rebounded by the Lakers. Here’s James. No good. A bit long that time. Well, okay. Well, I like his aggressiveness, but like the defense was waiting on him that time despite the height disadvantage. Oh my. He just attacks that interior. Really unfazed. Throw his height right out the window there. Here’s the floater and he sinks the layup and the Lakers lead by 10. Now, look, a coach is going to trust LeBron James to just put up monster numbers cuz that’s who he is. But it is nice to see him get into a nice groove like this. Now, here’s Gordon. The ball’s knocked loose. Pass to Brown. Murray against Smart. Lets the three fly and Aiden pulls it down. Aiden’s got four rebounds now. Smart against Murray. James outside, kept alive. Defense has no good answer for eight there. So they come at the big man and bounce. And a chance for a moment to check out the scoring breakdown for Los Angeles. So far, they haven’t had to force anything. They’re swinging the ball around and turning good passing into points. And another thing they’ve done is look to shoot from the mid-range often. So far, it’s really paying off for them. The first one falls. And I love the footwork possesses. It’s what makes him so dangerous close to the rim. A different look for Denver. Jordan’s checked in for Gordon. Watson comes in for Brown. And it’s Picket in for Strawther. Connect checked in for the Lakers. Vincent comes in for Reeves. Aiden hits them both. Some big guys struggle at the line. Not him. He’s put in the work to defy that assumption. Smart against Murray. Jordan with a screen on Smart down low. Last slam. No by Jordan. So dangerous in the pick and roll. Murray moving that ball, creating for others. Los Angeles leading by 10. Pass to Aiden. And here’s James covered by Johnson. Double team on James. Smart passes to Vincent. Kicks it out to Smart. Here’s James on the wing covered by Johnson. And the whistle blows as the basket counts. Chance at a three-point opportunity here. One free throw coming up. This will be his third free throw of the game. A different look for Denver. Nicole Joic has checked in for Jordan and Chonchar subbed in for Jamal Murray. The Lakers also with a sub. Donic checked in. That’s good from Aiden. Nuggets trail by 13. Now here’s Watson. Pass to Joic. Joic with a screen on Smart. Here’s Picket. That shot off. Smart with the defensive effort. And here’s Smart. He’ll bring it up for the Lakers. Right. 116 left in the first. Five on the clock. Donic outside. And once again, off the mark by Los Angeles. Denver has gone just two for six from the arc here in the first. And what an impressive move to the rim. He’s really trying to fire up his teammates right now. Boy, it’s not hard to feel inspired after a teammate makes that kind of finish. And that could be the spark they needed to make a little run as they try to even this thing up. Eightton passes to Donic. And there’s a whistle. He’ll head to the line to shoot two. And you can’t let Donic get this type of positioning because then you’re pretty much forced to foul him. Los Angeles shooting their fifth and six free throw attempts tonight. pitch at the line for two. and he knocks down the first one. And Donas is a walking triple double threat. His versatility and confidence is really special. Vanderbilt’s checked in for DeAndre Aton. So he makes one of two and the second one misses. And while Nicole Joic has lots of years left in this league, he’s already an all-time great brand. You know, BA, not many guys have won multiple MVPs and a title. But Jokic has already accomplished so much. And with his size and his skill set, Joic can be elite for a long time and add to that impressive resume. The Lakers lead by 10 now. 5 seconds separating the shot clock from the game clock. Vanderbilt the pass to Smart. There’s the block. has to pick it inside and Joic throws it down. And if you try to block his shot, you risk getting posterized because he is good by using the time to his advantage. And so it’s LeBron James making things happen for Los Angeles. An insane quarter. No one could stop him. More 2K action in just a moment. And for those of you just tuning in, second quarter action is where we are. What do you guys think about Los Angeles here in this one? Well, it’s simple. I mean, they started off strong and they’ve been hot from beyond the ark since the get-go. And as long as the threes are dropping, you’ve got to keep launching them. Los Angeles has gotten three of their seven threes to find the net in this matchup. We’ve got Cameron Johnson. He’s out there with Nicole Joic. And it’s John in at the three spot. That’s the group on the floor for Denver. Donic shot is good. The size and strength of Donic can go overlooked. I mean, he’s more than capable of scoring there in the paint. Pass to Joic. Johnson against Vanderbilt. Now, here’s Watson. Tightly guarded. And this is a star-driven league. But talk about the importance of role players, Grant. Oh, BA. A lot of times they’re the ones who carry the day. You know what you’ll get from your stars, but when the X factor ignites, that can make the difference. Denver shooting their fifth and six free throws of the game. Take a break. Take a break. Two shots. That one’s off. on the miss. And he’s good on the second. Los Angeles leading by nine. Smart passes to Donic. From downtown, John with the rebound. The Nuggets shooting 53%. Good efficiency on offense so far. Pass to Johnson. Joic with it. Back to Johnson. Here’s Pickicket. Rebound. The Lakers. 13 points was their biggest lead of the game. To the paint. Here’s Vanderbilt. And Vanderbilt slams it in. While he’s a bit undersized for fourth, he more than makes up for it with his bounce. Here’s Pickicket. No points yet. To the left wing. He shoots. Shot is good. Off the back rim and in. Yeah, great pass to Jokic when he’s ready to fire and then he’s straight into his motion. Donic outside and Luca cashes in from long distance. Got to fight harder to get over those screens. Yeah. As soon as these guys build contact, they are just disappearing like they’re not even there. You got to show some fire and keep defending. Johnson. Here’s Joic and Joic throws it down. So listen, I mean whether you put a body on Joic or you don’t, he will sneak in there for a second chance opportunity. Smart passes to Donic. Launches it. Denver grabs the miss. Joic has got rebound number five here tonight. Here’s Pickicket. He’s checked by Clea. Pass to Chonchar outside. Watson. Smart against Joic. Joic is doubled. Here’s Pickicket. Offensive board. Oh, that’s too easy for Joic when he gets inside position. And Joic has a number of moves to choose from, especially deep inside. Smart looking around. Pass to Clea now. Donic. Defended by Watson. Rebounded by Denver. Joic has got his seventh rebound of the game with that last one. To the middle. Here’s Picket. The Nuggets need to get one up from deep Johnson. It’s hauled in by Luca Donuch. Would you say testing the limits of his range there? Yeah, he might have been feeling himself a little too much on that one. He can hit it, but not consistent. Smart passes to Donic. down low. Kicks it out to Smart. Lets it fly. Rebounded by Johnson. Nuggets trail by eight. Watson passes to Chachar to the inside. Pick it. That shot is off. Good D by Dantic. Stop the drought. Luca lethal. Encouraging to see Donic sink the three. Needs to keep doing this now. Inside and stolen by Vanderbilt to the middle and connect gets it to go on the assist from Donic. Donic has got three assists in the game. The Nuggets have gotten five of eight attempts to drop since the second began. Milk with a screen on Smart. Pass to Chonchar. The three is up. Knocks down the triple. Char’s got five. You give a shooter of his caliber that much time to seam it up. Oh yeah, you’re done. And so it’s Smart who brings up the ball for the Los Angeles Lakers. 10-point lead. Time now to hear from our reporter Ally Leforce. KBA. The Denver Nuggets are building for the long haul. Their philosophy has been to draft polished prospects and then develop them into contributors. They look for four qualities. Basketball IQ, character, positional size, and the absence of skill deficiencies. Ryan, the track record has been strong. It really has. Thanks, Alec. And it’s good. Two points. Jokic has got eight points here in the quarter. This right here, this is how you want to play the game with passion, with energy, just great hustle play right there. Look, that’s going to help get in there with those trees. If you’re a little too aggressive, things can happen. Los Angeles shooting their seventh and eighth attempts at the foul line tonight. And that falls for Smart. And Denver will go for a different look here. Aaron Gordon’s checked in for Johnson. Brown comes in for Chonchar. Strawers checked in for Watson. And Murray subbed in for Picket. Nuggets trail by 10. Now Murray and he’s going for the oop here. Stolen by Aiden. Fast break. Here come the Lakers. Oh, LeBron hammers it home. Yeah, the forced turnover showing how Aiden’s developing defensively, huh? Ignites the break there. The Nuggets have gone five of 10 in the second quarter. Gordon outside. Murray. A screen on James. Back to Murray. Pass to Joic. Here’s Strawler. Three-pointer. The shot. No good. Now here’s Hachimura. Defense is right there. It’s tipped. Ooh, stolen by Murray. Back come the Nuggets on the run. Here’s Strawther. And they’re going to count that bucket and they’ll send him to the line. It could be a three-point play. He hears the whistle and he keeps his concentration and is able to knock it down. Denver shooting their seventh free throw attempt here. Second at the line for one. Go there. One shot. Los Angeles leading by nine. Donic with it. 15 points in the game. Pass to Reeves. That one falls. He’s now one for three. And the dime going to Aton expanding the passing part of his game. And it’s Murray with the ball for the Denver Nuggets. Joic with a screen on Donic. Now here’s Joic. There’s the triple. It’s good. And the assist goes to Murray. Murray’s got three assists in the game. The way he can elevate over a defender from deep. Very tough to contain outside the arc. And here’s Donic down low. Here’s Aiden. Good D by Joic. Look, the defense was locked in on him there. They know how dangerous he can be and they guarded him perfectly. Back to Murray. Ooh, the lead pass was in the perfect spot to set up the layup. Skilled finish by Murray. He can score inside and outside. Really anywhere on the court. Reeds. The pass to Dodic. Back to Reeds. Donic outside. Pocket six. Luca, get off me. And their offense tonight is Luca. Luca and more Luca. When he’s on, it’s an opponent’s worst nightmare. Gordon. The pass to Joic. Here’s Strawler. Here’s Brown. Pass to Schwer. Murray with it. Up and over. Donic. Aimura with a rebound. Nachimura’s got his fourth rebound in this one. Oh, stolen by Murray. Now Joic. Pass to Schrother. Six to shoot. Misses a three. Los Angeles leading by eight. James inside. Defended by Gordon. With the fadeaway and it’s good off the back of the rim and in. James has got 19 points. A real threat from the in between area. LeBron wastes no time firing when he gets to that spot. Back to Murray. Gordon outside. Pass to Jookic. Shoots over Aiden. And again, it’s Denver missing. Los Angeles has gone five of 12 from three-point range tonight. Now here’s Reeds. Not a lot of room to the inside. Second shot opportunity and he makes it. Payton’s got 11 points and the defense has no one to blame but themselves. I mean, they just let him get right to the rim. That’s a great possession. Put your best players in a position to succeed. Remaining in the first two. Here’s Donic. Here’s Reeves. Great D that time from Joic. Nuggets trail by 12. Here’s Strother. Oh, a dunk and a foul. A powerhouse move. He’s got a chance for one more the line. That one on. Donic Vincent checked in for the Lakers. That’s his first personal foul. 13 foul at the line for Denver. Strawler shooting one. One shot. miss. The Lakers lead by nine. James outside to the paint. Oh, got a piece of it. 133 left in the second period. Pass to Schwer. And here’s Jookic. Murray from outside. The shot no good. The defense just giving him the easy look there. He’s not going to miss that. James outside. A minute six left in the first half. Reeves the pass to Aimura. Just five on the clock. The Lakers got to get one up. Late clock. The shot by James. No good. Nuggets trail by nine. Outside. Murray. Pass to Strawler. Here’s Murray. He’s covered by Aiden. blows up. Here’s Joic. Jokic using his strength inside. And this is how powerful Joic is. Able to still score despite the contact. Outside Reeves. James a good look. Sinks it from just inside the baseline. James has got 21. The scoring is coming easy for him. Got to keep the ball in his hands. Joic passes to Gordon. Here’s Strawther. Hits the three-pointer. Strawther’s got nine points in the quarter. 15 seconds left in the first half. Now, here is James. 21 points in the game. Takes the three. He can’t get that one to fall. And so it’s Los Angeles leading by six as we wrap up the corner. Just pounding the painted area that’s helped them build an advantage. All right, we’ll get back to the action after this break. And so it’s Donic with it. He brings it up for the Lakers. 13 points was their biggest lead of the game. And so in the game for Los Angeles, Austin Reeves out there with Luca Donic. Then there’s LeBron James. Then it’s Ruachimura and it’s Aiden at the five down low. Look, the moment he gets it anywhere near the hoop, look, it is over. Just too much strength, too much touch either hand. Murray against Donic. Gordon right side left side Murray and it’s going to be a 3second call. We’ve seen more than a few miscues from them tonight. And if they want to come back in this game, look, they got to clean up those mistakes. Los Angeles leading by eight. Pass to Donic. Oh, stolen by Murray. Here’s Brown. Oh, plenty of contact on that shot. Officials call the foul and he’ll take two free throws now. It’s on LeBron James. And even from where we’re sitting, you could clearly tell it was a foul. Two shots. First free throw is good. Let’s get it. Get it. He’s off on the second. The Lakers lead by seven. Aimura. The pass to Donic. And Aiden with the stuff. I like how Aiden makes himself a big target on these alleys. Just a quality finish. Payton’s gone. Five of eight from the field. Murray against Donic. It’s Joic high post. Throw it down. Nola and dunking it with authority inside. This is why Joic guys look to feed him down there to the middle. And there’s James on the assist from Donic. James has got 25 points. He’s earning his keep offensively. A key part of their winning effort at this point. Murray with it. Aimura covering for three. Gordon and Aiden pulls it down. Aiden’s got 10 rebounds here tonight. So active. Reeves. The pass to James. And there’s a 3second violation. Second violation. Nuggets trail by nine. Murray passes to Gordon. Back to Murray. Pass to Brown. Back to Murray. Shot clock at six. Brown passes to Murray over Donic. Murray no good. Got to find easier shots when you’re already struggling. That’s not going to get it. James outside. Donic with it. Defended by Murray. Outside. Reeves. Fires from deep. Rebounded by Denver. Here’s Strawler. 17 points in the game. Oh, wasted no time on that one. Give him 20. And his perimeter shooting might be the key to trimming their deficit. Absolutely. And they have to continue to go to him. Outside Reeves. Here’s Aimura. Brown grabs a board. Nuggets trail by six. Third quarter action. Just under three and a half minutes have passed. Pass to Joic and Joic throws it down. And although he’s undersized, his position is vertical. Yeah, that’ll clean up a few mistakes. Murray against Donic. Touch it. You see the stretch? And how about the handles? Luca has phenomenal at creating scoring opportunities for himself. Pass to Schwer. Gordon against James. Brown passes to Gordon. Now here’s Yic. Murray to three. And Aiden pulls it down. I think he’s gone completely dry. Nothing is hitting. Yeah. And the risk now is that he gets inside his own head. Time to take deep breaths. In through the nose, out through the mouth, and let the game come to you. Murray passes to Gordon. Back to Murray. Here’s Strawber. Three-pointer off the mark. Los Angeles leading by eight. Pass to Aimura. Back to James. Up top from behind the ark. Rebounded by Denver. Here’s Strawler. Give him 20. Gordon. The pass to Brown. Here’s the pick. Out to the wing. Now Joic. 23 points in the game. Oh, tough make there from the Joker. It looked like he was playing against his little brother out there. The way he just went right over him with his height. Donic passes to Aiden. Pass to Aimura. Donic with it over Murray. Donic. No good. Donic against Murray. Here’s Brown and he jams it home with authority. And once he gets to the rim, it’s fairly automatic. Nothing fancy right there. Just takes his two points, moves on. Donic against Murray. Donic with it. He’s got 19 over Murray. Oh, Luca like a bull in there with the allaround impact he makes. If he can stay healthy, Donic could win multiple MVPs. He’s got those special kind of gifts to the left side wing. Brown passes to Murray. Joic with a screen on Donic. Murray from outside drills it from deep. Murray’s got seven points. So active on offense. Murray doing it himself. Outside G Reeves back to Donic. Count the basket and the foul. It’s going to be on Jamal Murray and going right through the contact. Luca has tremendous strength, especially for a guy who handles the ball so much. Johnson. He’s checked in for Brown. And the Lakers also making a switch. Smarts checked in for Aimura. One shot. Nuggets trail by six. Murray passes to Joic. Now Gordon. Jookic with a screen on Smart. Just five to shoot. Murray passes to Joic. Fires the three. It’s rebounded by Los Angeles. Donic has got four rebounds now. 43. Joic grabs the board. Joic has got 13 rebounds in the game. Glass eating. Pass to Gordon. Oh, the bucket’s good. And he’ll have a chance at one more. It’s going to be on DeAndre Aton. And fouling Gordon won’t necessarily stop him from scoring. He’s not afraid to get physical with opponents. And let’s take a moment to get your take, guys, on the scoring so far for Los Angeles. Look, they’re getting good looks inside. It’s been a point of emphasis all night long, but I love this hard-nosed attitude of this team. Yeah. Something else I love that they’re doing is driving into the lane and getting the shots they want in penetration. And that one misses. And talking about Gordon, just a freak athlete and ferocious dunker, a valuable role player on this team. Pass to Reeves. James, a screen on Johnson. Donic outside. Here’s the three. That is Jordan with the rebound. Given his range, you’d expect him to capitalize on that opening. Murray passes to Gordon. Pass to Strawler. Gordon with it. The three. Strawther. No good. From deep. Here’s Donic. Buries it from three. Donic has got 27. I like when Donets goes right up with it, giving the defense no time to react. And so it’s Michael Malone here calling timeout. He The Nuggets have gotten seven of 14 attempts to fall in the half. Inside, here’s Jordan. Oh, and makes it with the kiss. Assertive move. You can tell the game’s heating up a bit. And so Smart will bring it up for the Lakers. 13 points was their biggest lead of the game. Pass to Vanderbilt. Now here’s Donic. Defended by Watson. Donic. No good. Nuggets trail by five. Outside. Murray. Outside. Johnson from deep. Donic pulls down the board. Duchic has got rebound number five here tonight. Smart with the ball guarded down by Watson. A minute 35 left in the third from deep Johnson. They grabbed their own miss. Here’s Chonchar. No good from outside and the shooter had very little space on that attempt. I’m sure they’ll think twice about shooting against him next time. They get the rebound. Smart for three and Smart nails the triple. Just such a quick release there by Marcus Smart. You love to see that just catch, touch and release. Watson passes to Murray and Marcus Smart picks up the foul. Marcus, that’s his first foul. Benson’s checked in for Donoulit number seven, Gabe Vincent. 102 left in the third quarter. Pass to Jordan. Five to shoot. Here’s Chonchar. And here’s Jordan. Guarded by Vanderville. The put back. Great positioning on the put back. The jam not only shows Jordan’s length, but also his oops IQ. It’s hard to line up a put back like that. Smart passes to Vincent. Back to Smart. 34 seconds left in the third quarter. I like that. I mean, some physical play inside. He’s not about to give up any easy baskets. This is second trip to the line in the game. Shooting from Los Angeles. Marcus Smart taking two shots. Shooting two. The first free throw is good. And so Smart nails them both. Nuggets trail by eight now. 8 seconds separating the two clocks. Outside Watson on the wing. Murray. Six on the shot clock. He buries it from three. Murray’s got six here in the corner. Wow. Murray making the deep shot look just easy. I mean, that’s a real testament to his accuracy. Vanderbilt a screen on Johnson and James puts up a deep three. Oh, no good on the last second attempt there. Oh, what a performance by Luca Donic. He has been the story for Los Angeles. 27 on the night. He’s had it his way. And more NBA action on 2K Sports coming your way right after this. And it’s time to bring up the State Farm assist of the game. Talk about painting a magnificent picture with that dime. Just a great decision and a perfect delivery. A lot of times a spectacular pass is more impressive than a spectacular shot. This is one of those times. It’s the fourth quarter. Three tense quarters behind us, one more to go. Thanks for being with us as we get ready for the fourth. Aiden Watson is out there with Cameron Johnson. Then there’s Nicole Yic and it’s Chonchar in at the three. That’s the group on the floor for Denver. The Lakers lead by five. Here’s Connect to the wing right side. And here’s Vanderbilt from the arc. Rebounded by Denver. Joic is and Denver shooting it well. Almost 50% from the floor. Watson rebound. The Lakers. Vanderbilt’s got four rebounds now. Here’s Vincent. And a strong finish with two hands and he just driving the stake in him there. He’s a guy just never lets up. And that finish shows you how dangerous he can be as a passer and a finisher. Pass to Joic. Shoots over Clea and he buries that one back rim and in. Jookic has got 27. And this is just typical of him always making an impact at crucial moments in the game. And his team needs every bit of his production if they want to pull this one out. It is neck and neck here in the final period. Here’s connect now. Donic. and he drops it in from the low post. That’s 29 for him. Breakd down for the defenders and you can’t ask for an easier bucket than that. Left side Watson. Kick by Holmes. Watson passes to Yic, fires it. The shot by Johnson. No good. And the defense was right on him there. Nice contest. Kicks it to Donic. And this team’s offensive catalyst. Donic puts pressure on the defense every possession. First team foul shooting from Los Angeles. Donic. Two shots. Shooting two. No good on that one. A different look for Denver. Naji comes in for Holmes and Strawther subbed in for Chonchar. And the Lakers also making a change. Reeves is checked in. And he sinks the second. Nuggets trail by eight. A touch under two and a half minutes to pass now here in the fourth. And the dunk by Jokic. Hey, kept it simple. No reason to get fancy right now. PA. Yeah, he’s just looking to find shots and produce for his team. Benson passes to Reeves and he got the whistle on the way up. So he’ll be headed to the line for a pair. That’s his fourth personal. Second team shooting from Los Angeles. Re two shots. Take a break. Take a break. Two shots. And that one falls for Reeves. And so Reeves nails both of them. Nuggets trail by eight. Here’s Strawler outside. Watson pass to Joic and they double up Joic. Four on the clock. Here’s Naji. Drains the triple. Nice pass by Cam Johnson. Keeping his eyes up, letting things unfold. And Reeves has got the ball here for Los Angeles. 13 points was their biggest lead of the game. Donic on the wing. Got a hand on it outside. Johnson. Fourth quarter of play and over three and 1/2 minutes have gone by now. Pass to Sherther. Oh, and he got fouled on his way up. He’ll head to the line to shoot two. Jared Vanderbilt picks one up. Well, that was clearly a foul at the line for Denver. Starter taking two shots. And he drops a first. that misses. So he splits the free throws. Just a tough miss at the line. They’re down two baskets now. Johnson for three. Rebounded by the Lakers. And here’s Reeves. Donic outside. Pass to Vanderbilt. They set a pick to the inside. Here’s Reeves and good on the sevenfooter and the Lakers lead by six. Love to see him inside passing like this as well as guys being on the same page. Now Joic. He’s checked by Clea. Joic is doubled outside. Watson pass to Strawler. And here’s Joic. Shoots over Clea. And it’s Joic missing. Vincent outside. Here’s Cleba. Covered by Joic. Cleba against Joic. Cleba passes to Vincson. Clebba with it over Joic. Clever. Shot is off. Nuggets trail by six. Pass to Strawler. Now here’s Watson. Naji sets a screen. Watson with it. Now Vanderbilt defending. uses the glass on the layup and you want him taking good shots at this point in the game and that one was easy. Yeah, it’s clear why they go to him in these moments. They know he’s going to deliver for it. And here’s Donic outside. He drops it from range. Donic has got six here in the corner. You give a shooter of his caliber that much time to seam it up. Oh yeah, you’re done. Over to the left wing. Here’s Joic. Oh, and there’s the whistle on the shot. So, two free throws for him coming up. That’s a bit. It’s Joic with the ball for the Nuggets. They trail by six. Uses the glass to finish the layup. Yokic has got seven now in this corner. Oh, that’s a big bucket. Putting the offense on his shoulders right there. Pass to Vincent. Here’s James. Now here’s Aiden and here’s Reeves. Shot clock at five. The three not going to go that time. Nuggets trail by four. And he loss it up and Gordon with the big finish. Oh, this is Gordon at his best. flying through the air and hammering home Alioops with a little style pass to Dungeon. Back to Reeds. Payton with it. Covered by Joic. Payeyton passes to Donic. 11 ft out. Jump shot is good. Donic has got 18 points now here in the second half. And there’s Luca. One of the most entertaining players in the league. Now Johnson, Gordon outside. There’s the three. Drops in the three. And the defense is looking almost lost on the perimeter. That opens up a quality three-point shot and he delivers. Big three right there, especially at this point in the game. Here’s Donic. Count it. Donic has got 37. Oh my. Tight defense, but Donic just muscles it in. Outside Murray. Johnson on the wing. Yic with a screen on Reeves. Here’s Johnson. And there are the Nuggets with another bucket. Going to work in the mid-range. This is how confident Johnson is from this area. Reeves the pass to Aiden and that one’s good with extra effort on the glass and the Lakers lead by three. Now what’s the saying? Don’t box out. Get your feelings hurt. The kick out to Johnson. Spat balls. Nice feed from Joic. Johnson’s got five points now in this corner. Their strategy has been pretty simple here in the second half. Attack from three-point range. And you see this so much more nowadays. Teams putting a larger emphasis on jacking up threes. Here’s Vincent and they come right back with their own three-pointer. And that’s how you up the ante. Come right back at him. Yeah, I love the competitive fire right there. You drain a triple on us and I’m coming for my revenge. And timeout is called by Michael Malone. He’s looking to make some very important adjustments here. It’s that time of the game. Heat up here. Heat up here. Brown checked in for the Nuggets and the Lakers also making a switch. Aimura’s checked in for Vincent. The Lakers on D. 13 points was their biggest lead of the game. Murray inside guarded by Donic. Payton with the defensive effort. The Lakers lead by three. Here’s Aimura and he gets the friendly roll as that one goes. You can tell Donic trusts his teammates. He’ll get them looks and doesn’t insist on doing everything himself. Now Murray up and over true on the 14-footer. And this is why they go to Murray in critical spots of the game. He just knows how to come through. Back to Donic. Two minutes remaining in the two. Eight. A screen on Murray from deep. Here’s Donic. Denver grabs the miss. Jokic has got his 16th rebound on the night. Here’s Murray. The shot won’t fall. Oh, great key that time from Donic. with the teardrop. Jokic grabs the board. Jokic has got rebound number 17 if you can believe that outside. Murray down low. Joic is down. And how about a trick move by the big man? I mean, nice thumb fake from Joic. at the line number two, Nicole Yage. Good on the first and that brings him within two here. both good from the line that time in a tight game. He is exactly looking at the line. And Donic has got the ball here for Los Angeles. And you can count it. He’ll go to the line with a chance at a three-point play. Clutch play by Donic. He’s been doing this since he was a kid. and the free throw. No good. Nuggets trail by three. Pass to Murray. This one for three. Long target from range. Murray’s got five points in the quarter. Some players shrink in the pressure zone, but he lives for these moments. Los Angeles has got two of five threes to go here in the fourth. Donic passes to Aiden. Second chance shot and it’s in. Great to see guys who don’t back down under pressure. He knew what they needed here and was determined to deliver on outside Murray to the middle. Cash a huge shot to tie it out. And we’ve got a timeout called by JJ Reic and a great call on his part. This is the time you want to be in safe right here. It’s time for the dance. Get ready to see yourself. Let’s go. 36 seconds left to play in the fourth with a screen from deep. Here’s Donic. Gordon pulls it in. Important possession here. We’ll see how they execute under pressure. against Murray. Just five to shoot to take the lead. Here’s Brown. He’s off from three. Time expires. We’re going to overtime. And we’ve got more action coming your way after this break. Well, four quarters were enough to decide this ball game. Sit back and enjoy as we move on to overtime. Donic with it. We’ve got Austin Reeds. Ruy Hachimura is out there with James. Then it’s DeAndre Aiden. And it’s Donic in at the one spot to the paint. It’s good. Donic. Donic has got 41. This has been the story of the game. A battle fought on offense. Yeah, but I think it’s going to come down to who can get the stop down the strike because that’s who’s going to come away with this one. Get Yic high post and here’s Gordon from the ark. Donic pulls down the board. Donic has got seven rebounds in the game. Rebound by the Nuggets. Jokic has got his 18th rebound here tonight. all over the place. Pass to Strawther. Wide open look and he gets it to go. Hitting off the back of the rim. Strawther’s got 23. The Lakers shooting around 51%. That’s a good number. James passes to Aton. Here’s Donic. Rebounded by Denver. Browns got four rebounds in the game. Here’s Murray. James with the block. And Brown with the blocks. Look, the shooters are working hard, but he is all over the top. Oh, and the jam by Aton. I just love the aggressive finish. I’m thinking he’s sending a strong message with that jam. Back to Murray to take the lead. Rebound by the Lakers. 13 points was their biggest lead of the game. Pass to James and he can’t get that one. Good work defensively by Gordon. Here’s Strawler. Fat balls. Nice feed from Jookic. Strawler’s gotten four this quarter. The court awareness on full display. Joic is such a unique big man outside. Reeves to the inside. Here’s James. It’s hauled in by Nicole Yokic. Denver has gone 0 for two from deep. Not what they need this overtime. Just over two and a half minutes in OT in this exciting contest. Down to five on the shot clock. Pass to Strawer. Gordon outside to take the lead. Some solid defense from James. And here’s Donic. He’ll bring it up for the Los Angeles Lakers. High arcing shot. Gilic grabs the board. The Nuggets have gone a rocky two for six so far at OT. pass to Strawler the screen. Here’s Strawler. He’s covered by Reeves. Back to Gordon. Here’s Brown and unable to get the go-ahead bucket there. And the Lakers shooting 29% since OT. Not what they’re hoping for. Re pass to Aiden. Back to Reeds. Donic on the wing. Here’s James. James, a freak train coming. I’m sorry. Just who else would you want it shooting there? LeBron James just so calm under pressure. Inside they double up Joic. He’s proud. Oh, nails the triple. Well, if they’re doubling you, then you know someone is open to shoot. So, smart move passing it out. Throws it up high. Pass to Yic. Oh, he nails it and tie game. Huge basket right there. And so JJ Reick calls for the timeout. The pressure is on and he’s got a plan to share with his guys. Donic against Murray. And here’s Reeves outside. Strawther grabs a miss. So it’s Denver now. Pass to Brown. Now Murray Strawler. The three is up. They get it again. They kick it out to Murray. About 3 seconds between the shot clock and the game clock with a screen on James. Just five on the clock. And so JJ Reick calls for the timeout. There is a lot on the line and he is determined to make sure everyone’s on the same page. Let’s hear from our analysts. Give us your take on the strategy being discussed right now. If they leave the ark open, take it. But it may be safer to get a quick two and then foul. Yeah, time is the enemy at this point. So, I think I’d go for the tie and avoid playing the foul game. So, it’s Los Angeles now. They trail by three. That’s the free to fall. Hey everybody, that’s execution off an inbounds play. And timeout is called by Michael Malone. Great time to call his guys into the huddle at a very tense moment in this game. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. for the win. Gone from downtown. What a shot. They may take a second look at it. The officials do need to look at the replay. So, the basket may count after all. We’ll see. No guarantee this outcome is going to remain the same. And the call just came in. The basket was too late. And this crazy game just keeps on going. At first, I thought maybe he did get it off in time, but I’ll tell you, the cameras don’t lie. And here we go again. Another overtime. Another tie. And we’re going to have a second overtime. And we’ll return shortly. And as we play on into another overtime, you know, these teams must be wearing down. It’s become a battle of attrition. Here’s Murray. Gordon outside. Pass to Brown outside. Murray tries to break his ice. Bat falls. Nice feed from Joic. Getting the ball inside. Usually a pretty good wrestler. Murray against Donic. Pulls up high post. Ooh, lands soft on the front of the rim and drops in. Donic has got 46. There is no chance that this game is tied up without his offensive firepower to the middle. Stolen by Aton. Oh, deflected. Gordon with a steal. Pass to Brown. Back to Murray. Jookic with a screen on Aimura. Murray passes to Joic. Here’s Brown. Guarded by Donic. Clock at four. Here’s Joic. It’s hauled in by Luca Donuch. Donic has got rebound number eight now. Beyond the ark. Counted from distance. And it’s a three-point Los Angeles lead. Using that change of pace off the dribble, Donic gets the shots he wants. Murray up top. Guarded by Dantes. Here’s Stro and he can’t answer back. The three-pointer offline. Los Angeles leading by three. Wow. Potent offense. It’s been fun to watch. Just aggressive and effective. Taking it right to the defense. A sloppy turnover. When you’re not locked in, you pay the price. Boy, this offense has been dynamic and diversified. Just everyone sharing the ball and sharing the load makes you difficult to defend. And Jokic throws it down. He is just an excellent pick and roll option. Joic always uses his high basketball IQ to find and execute the right play. Aiden, a screen on Murray from deep. Here’s Donic. It’s hauled in by the Nuggets. Strawther’s got his fifth rebound in this one to the inside. Joic. Nice dish and the layup goes down. Joic has got 42 in the game. And so James will bring it up for the Los Angeles Lakers. Pass to Aiden. Now here’s Dantic and it’s good. He hits another one and that gives him 51. Making it look easy. The Nuggets trail and here’s Murray. Gordon outside pass to Stroller over Reeves. And the Nuggets getting another bucket to fall. I doubt that’s what they were looking for, but it works out. And for Los Angeles, they’re shooting a nice 50% for the game. Donic against Murray. Donic. Good. Donic has got 53 points. Nuggets shooting 53%. Good efficiency on offense so far. Pass to Joic. Yic. Easy over the top. Yeah, there’s that guard touch of Joic. Simply incredible for a man his size. Donic against Murray. Let’s go with a three. Luca Donic again. Donic has got 56 in the game. That’s a move you won’t see many guys make. Impressive stuff. Down low. Here’s Yic. Pass to Strawler. The rebound. Goes back up. He connects and he’s tied it up. What a shot. Now here’s Dic. Yes, showing off the dribble moves. Able to create for himself. I love it. And so it’s Michael Malone here calling timeout. Critical moment here. He’s not taking any chances. Outside Murray pass to Strawer. three-pointer knocks down the long jade. The combo guard Murray capable of hurting you with his scoring as well as with his passing. And so JJ Reic calls for the timeout. There is a lot on the line and he is determined to make sure everyone’s on the same page. All right, one of the considerations at this late juncture and there’s enough time on the clock to go for a two for one. He finds a shooter in motion and is confident he can threat him with a weak pass. Well done. 5second differential between the shot clock and game clock to the paint. Here’s Jookic. It’s called in by Luca Donic. And they foul intentionally. Now they’re going to have to do that again. They’re not in the penalty just yet. Yeah. And that was a smart move. I mean, you have to foul right there. You just don’t want them to run out the clock. Here’s Don and an intentional foul right there. So the first one drops and that’ll put him up two shots. Stanny hits both free throws here and it’s a three-point game. And those were some big time shots. Those free throws helping make this a three-point game. Murray passes to Joic. and no good. Oh, great D that time from Donic and an intentional foul there. Stops the clock. He drops the first one and that gives him a four-point mission. And so he drops them both and it’s a five-point game. Making no mistakes and putting some extra nails in the coffin right here. That pretty much do it. And another miss by Denver. So, we see the Lakers get the You know, BA, it typically means we’ll get a clean game. These guys have been around for a while and know how to take care of the basketball. So, let’s take a look at the Los Angeles Lakers starting lineup. Rui Hachimura is out there with LeBron James. Then it’s DeAndre Aton. Then it’s Austin Reeves. And it’s Donichen at the one. Yep, that one goes. Got to fight harder to get over those screens. Yeah, as soon as these guys build contact, they are just disappearing like they’re not even there. You got to show some fire and keep defending. Now here’s Reeds. Aiden passes to Donic. That one’s good from the corner, guys. just ridiculous. He is just an absolute surgeon when he has the ball. This man is surgical. There is no way to slow him down when he wants to score. Here’s Murray pass to Gordon. Here’s Joic. That’s short off the rim. No clue how he misfired on that shot. You don’t see that from him very often. Donic finds Aiden over Joic. And there’s Aiden on the assist from Donic. Yeah, this is where Aiden’s comfortable operating, using his height and array of inside moves to his advantage. A chance here to catch up with Ally from the sideline. Michael Malone and I spoke for a few minutes. I asked him if he thinks anyone has a better feel for the game than Luca Dantic, and he told me I don’t want to get into a comparison, but what I can say is that he controls the pace like no one else. You can’t speed him up. You can’t slow him down, guys. Okay, good stuff. Thank you, Ally. Now, here’s Donic. Aiden. A screen on Murray to the middle. Oh, and the jam by Aidton. Hard to stop Aiden once he gets moving downhill. The Nuggets have gone two of three from the floor. Murray scanning the floor. Pass to Yic. Here’s Strawler. He’s covered by Reeves. Here’s Strawler. Down to five on the shot clock. Here’s Murray. Rebounded by the Lakers. Left side. Reeds. Gordon pulls it in. That’s the shot you hope for. Right at the rim. Just couldn’t capitalize. So, it’ll be two free throws. He was fouled in the active shooting. Grant, the Denver Nuggets have been on quite the run here in this window of time. Yeah, BA, it’s all working for Denver in recent years. This is a well constructed team that they play as a unit and it makes it so difficult to try to get the best of them. Shooting two. And the first one at the line is good. So he got them both. You know, Grant, after losing in the first round last season, it felt like changes were inevitable for the Lakers. Yeah. Making the playoffs isn’t enough for that franchise. They are all about championship success and anything short of that is a failure. Now here’s Aiden. Now James off target with the free throw line. Jay got to move past that one. I mean they want him to take that again. Yeah, it’s a great look for him. One they’ll try and manufacture again. Those are the shots you want him to take. Here’s Aimura and the officials whistle a foul on the shot. The bucket is good and he’ll go to the line. High IQ pass by LeBron. He reads the floor and gets it to the open shooter. Los Angeles shooting their first free throw in this game. Ruy at the line. Free throw good. Aimura. And so it’s Michael Malone here calling timeout. I think right now he must be looking at some adjustments. Listen, get your heart. Get loud and let it here. Let’s go, friends. I want to hear you get loud right now. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. About 3 minutes gone in the first quarter. Murray passes to Joic. Here’s Strawler. Here’s Brown. Pass to Strawer. Here’s Joic. And here’s Gordon from the ark. They get it back. Back to Joic. Another shot. Guess. And it’s Murray picking up the assist. And Joic doesn’t get a lot of lift on his shot, but he doesn’t need it. I mean, he is money in the mid-range. Donic passes to James. Pass to Reeves. And here’s Donic. Gets some space and burries the jumper. Starting to find his rhythm. He’s cooking and he knows it. Yeah, when he gets engaged this early in the game, it’s bad news for the defense. He can roll this start throughout the rest of the game. Now, here’s Gordon. No made baskets yet. Back to Murray. Fires for three and Aiden pulls it down. The Lakers in the lead. Donic with it. Hayden against Joic. And there’s James from the arc. Nails it from three. Look, when LeBron James is hitting his three from that spot, look, this offense completely opens up. Gordon outside Murray. A screen on James. James against Gordon. And there’s the drive and Gordon with the big finish. Oh, an explosive finisher. Gordon is also skilled at staying in control and finishing through contact. Now here’s Reeds. Pass to James and Los Angeles. Another three. He’s consistent from out there, especially when you give him that kind of room. Nuggets trail by six. Outside Murray. Here’s Strawler from the arc. LeBron with the rebound. Murray against Donic over Murray. And there’s another one for the Lakers. They’ve been the more poised team tonight and the score reflects that. And it’s because Murray passes to Brown. Gordon with a screen on Donic. Murray with it. Picked up by James. And so he draws the foul. Headed to the line to shoot a pair. Well, Grant, when you think of Jamal Murray and all he’s been through, health is of utmost importance for him. Oh, extremely important, BA, because when Murray is healthy, he’s a lethal player and a huge part of this team’s success. and he makes a first. You know, I just love the moxy Murray has to his game. He’s so fast and supremely confident. big. And he makes both free throws. Making shots at the line. You need a good routine and he certainly has one. Outside Reeves. Joic against Aiden. Aimura outside. James outside, four on the clock and the layup is good off the glass. James has got eight points. Yeah, just too much big boy basketball by LeBron James. Just bodying defenders inside. Back to Murray. Up and over Donic. And that’s out of bounds. Last touch by Joic. And let’s send it over to Alli Leforce. Aaron Gordon fits perfectly with this team because of his lunch pale approach. Coach Michael Malone said, “I think Aaron Gordon is a prime example of somebody who’s truly selfless. He does the dirty work for us and a lot of times he doesn’t get the credit he deserves.” Brian, not today. That’s right. Good call, Ally. Thank you. Donic outside the offensive rebound. James passes to Aimura. Donic on the wing over Murray. Donic outside. Donic is doubled. James outside from deep. Reeves. Gordon pulls it in. Nuggets trail by eight. And here’s Joic. Pass to Murray. Back to Joic. Oh, rejected by Eightton. So difficult to shoot over. Eighton proving it with that rejection. And the fans love seeing incredible moments on defense like that block. Yeah, just some terrific effort there. And you know, the whole team will get an energy boost off a block like that one. Johnson, he’s checked in for Nicole Yic. And the Lakers also making a switch. Smarts checked in. Shot clock at five. And there’s the lob. It’s stolen by James outside. Greavves. James deciding where to go with it. Pass to Smart. Six on the shot clock. And there’s James on the assist from Smart. James has got 10 points. Boy, I like their energy coming in. Terrific execution so far. Couldn’t come up with a much better start than this. They just have to keep it going. Here’s Strawler. He’s got five. Fires the three. That’s a foul called on Cameron Johnson. That’s his first foul. This is why you always have to chase guys off the arc because everyone has a three-point shot. Los Angeles leading by seven. Smart passes to Reeds to the inside. Here’s Aiden. Now to James. Lets it go from deep. sinks it from distance. 13 points in the game. When you’re guarding LeBron, you have to give him something. So, the King, well, he’ll take a three-point basket. Gordon outside. Back to Murray. Rebounded by the Lakers. Here’s James. No good. A bit long that time. Well, okay. Well, I like his aggressiveness, but like the defense was waiting on him that time despite the height disadvantage. Oh my. He just attacks that interior. Really unfazed. Throw his height right out the window there. Here’s the floater and he sinks the layup and the Lakers lead by 10. Now look, a coach is going to trust LeBron James to just put up monster numbers cuz that’s who he is. But it is nice to see him get into a nice groove like this. Now here’s Gordon. The ball’s knocked loose. Pass to Brown. Murray against Smart. Lets the three fly and Aiden pulls it down. Aton’s got four rebounds now. Smart against Murray. James outside. kept alive. Defense has no real good answer for eight there. So they come at the big man and bounce. And a chance for a moment to check out the scoring breakdown for Los Angeles. So far, they haven’t had to force anything. They’re swinging the ball around and turning good passing into points. And another thing they’ve done is look to shoot from the mid-range often. So far, it’s really paying off for them. The first one falls. And I love the footwork Aton possesses. It’s what makes him so dangerous close to the rim. A different look for Denver. Jordan’s checked in for Gordon. Watson comes in for Brown. And it’s Picket in for Straw. Connect checked in for the Lakers. Vincent comes in for Reeves. Aiden hits them both. Some big guys struggle at the line. Not him. He’s put in the work to defy that assumption. Smart against Murray. Jordan with a screen on Smart down low. Class slam. No by Jordan. So dangerous in the pick and roll. Murray moving that ball, creating for others. Los Angeles leading by 10. Pass to Aiden. And here’s James covered by Johnson. Double team on James. Smart passes to Vincent. Kicks it out to Smart. Here’s James on the wing. Covered by Johnson and the whistle blows as the basket counts. Chance at a three-point opportunity here. One free throw coming up. This will be his third free throw of the game. A different look for Denver. Nicole Joic has checked in for Jordan and Chonchar subbed in for Jamal Murray. The Lakers also with a sub. Donic checked in. That’s good from Aiden. Nuggets trail by 13. Now here’s Watson. Pass to Joic. Joic with a screen on Smart. Here’s Pickicket. That shot off. Smart with the defensive effort. And here’s Smart. He’ll bring it up for the Lakers. Right here. Right here. 116 left in the first. Five on the clock. Donic outside and once again off the mark by Los Angeles. Denver has gone just two for six from the arc here in the first and what an aggressive move to the rim. He’s really trying to fire up his teammates right now. Boy, it’s not hard to feel inspired after a teammate makes that kind of finish. And that could be the spark they needed to make a little run as they try to even this thing up. Eight passes to Donic. And there’s a whistle. He’ll head to the line to shoot two. And you can’t let Donic get this type of positioning because then you’re pretty much forced to foul. Los Angeles shooting their fifth and six free throw attempts tonight. and he knocks down the first one. And Donas is a walking triple double threat. His versatility and confidence is really special. Vanderbilts checked in for DeAndre Aton. So he makes one of two and the second one misses. And while Nicole Joic has lots of years left in this league, he’s already an all-time great. You know, BA, not many guys have won multiple MVPs and a title, but Jokic has already accomplished so much. And with his size and skill set, Jokic can be elite for a long time and add to that impressive resume. The Lakers lead by 10 now. 5 seconds separating the shot clock and the game clock. Vanderbilt to pass to Smart. There’s the block. has to pick it inside and Joic throws it down. And if you try to block his shot, you risk getting posterized because he is good at using that height to his advantage. And so it’s LeBron James making things happen for Los Angeles. An insane quarter. No one could stop him. More 2K action in just a moment. And for those of you just tuning in, second quarter action is where we are. What do you guys think about Los Angeles here in this one? Well, it’s simple. I mean, they started off strong and they’ve been hot from beyond the ark since the get-go. And as long as the threes are dropping, you’ve got to keep launching them. Los Angeles has gotten three of their seven threes to find the net in this matchup. We’ve got Cameron Johnson. He’s out there with Nicole Joic and it’s Chonchar in at the three spot. That’s the group on the floor for Denver. Donic shot is good. The size and strength of Donic can go overlooked. I mean, he’s more than capable of scoring there in the paint. Pass to Joic. Johnson against Vanderbilt. Now here’s Watson tightly guarded and this is a star driven league. But talk about the importance of role players, Grant. Oh, BA. A lot of times they’re the ones who carry the day. You know what you get from the stars, but when the X factor ignites, that can make the difference. Denver shooting their fifth and six free throws of the game. Take a break. Take a break. Two shots. Big. That one’s off. on the miss. And he’s good on the second. Los Angeles leading by nine. Smart passes to Donic. from downtown. John Char with a rebound. The Nuggets shooting 53%. Good efficiency on offense so far. Pass to Johnson. Jookic with it. Back to Johnson. Here’s Picket. Rebound. The Lakers. 13 points was their biggest lead of the game. To the paint. Here’s Vanderbilt and Vanderbilt slams it in. While he’s a bit undersized for a fourth, he more than makes up for it with his balance. Here’s Picket. No points yet. To the left wing. He shoots. Shot is good. Off the back rim and in. Yeah, great pass to Joic when he’s ready to fire and then he’s straight into his motion. Donic outside and Luca cashes in from long distance. Got to fight harder to get over those screens. Yeah, as soon as these guys build contact, they are just disappearing like they’re not even there. You got to show some fire and keep defending. Johnson, here’s Joic and Joic throws it down. So listen, I mean whether you put a body on Joic or you don’t, he will sneak in there for a second chance opportunity. Smart passes to Donic, launches it. Denver grabs the miss. Joic has got rebound number five here tonight. Here’s Pickicket. He’s checked by Cleba. Pass to Chonchar outside Watson. Smart against Joic. Joic is doubled. Here’s Picket. Offensive board. Oh, that’s too easy for Joic when he gets inside position. And Joic has a number of moves to choose from, especially deep inside. Smart looking around pass to Clea. Now Donic defended by Watson. Rebounded by Denver. Joic has got his seventh rebound of the game of that last one to the middle. Here’s Picket. Go. The Nuggets need to get one up from Deep Johnson. It’s hauled in by Luca Donuch. Would you say testing the limits of his range there? Yeah, he might have been feeling himself a little too much on that one. He can hit it, but not consistent. Smart passes to Donic down low. Kicks it out to Smart. Lets it fly. Rebounded by Johnson. Nuggets trail by eight. Watson passes to Jar to the inside. Pickicket. That shot is off. Good D by Dantic to stop the trout. Luca lethal. Encouraging to see Donic sink the three. Needs to keep doing this now inside and stolen by Vanderbilt to the middle and connect gets it to go on the assist from Donic. Donic has got three assists in the game. The Nuggets have gotten five of eight attempts to drop since the second began. Milk with a screen on Smart. Pass to Chonchar. The three is up. Knocks down the triple. Chonchar’s got five. You give a shooter of his caliber that much time to seam it up. Oh yeah, you’re done. And so it’s Smart who brings up the ball for the Los Angeles Lakers. 10-point lead. Time now to hear from our reporter Ally Leforce. KBA. The Denver Nuggets are building for the long haul. Their philosophy has been to draft college polished prospects and then develop them into contributors. They look for four qualities: basketball IQ, character, positional size, and the absence of skilled deficiencies. Ryan, the track record has been strong. It really has. Thanks, Alec. And it’s good. Two points. Joic has got eight points here in the quarter. This right here, this is how you want to play the game with passion, with energy, just great hustle. play right there. Look, that’s going to happen. Spark gets in there with those trees. If you’re a little too aggressive, things can happen. Los Angeles shooting their seventh and eighth attempts at the foul line tonight. And that one falls for Smart. And Denver will go for a different look here. Aaron Gordon’s checked in for Johnson. Brown comes in for Chonchar. Strawthers checked in for Watson. And Murray subbed in for Picket. Nuggets trail by 10. Now Murray and he’s going for the oop here. Stolen by Aton. Pass break. Here come the Lakers. Oh, LeBron hammers it home. Yeah, the forced turnover showing how Aiden’s developing defensively. Huh. Ignites the break there. The Nuggets have gone five of 10 in the second quarter. Gordon outside. Murray. A screen on James. Back to Murray. Pass to Joic. Here’s Strawler. Three-pointer. The shot no good. Now here’s Hachimura. Defense is right there. Gets tipped. Ooh, stolen by Murray. Back come the Nuggets on the run. Here’s Strawther. And they’re going to count that bucket and they’ll send him to the line. It could be a three-point play. He hears the whistle and he keeps his concentration and is able to knock it down. Denver shooting their seventh free throw attempt here. Second team inbound at the line for one. Strawberry. One shot. Los Angeles leading by nine. Donic with it. 15 points in the game. Pass to Reeves. That one falls. He’s now one for three. And the dime going to Aton expanding the passing part of his game. And it’s Murray with the ball for the Denver Nuggets. Noic with a screen on Donic. Now here’s Joic. There’s the triple. It’s good. And the assist goes to Murray. Murray’s got three assists in the game. The way he can elevate over a defender from deep. Very tough to contain outside the arc. And here’s Donic down low. Here’s Aiden. Good D by Joic. Look, the defense was locked in on him there. They know how dangerous he can be and they guarded him perfectly. Back to Murray. Oh, the lead pass was in the perfect spot to set up the layup. Skilled finish by Murray. He can score inside and outside. Really anywhere on the court. Reeds. The pass to Dodic. Back to Reeds. Donic outside. Pocket six. Luca, get off me. And their offense tonight is Luca. Luca and more Luca. When he’s on, it’s an opponent’s worst nightmare. Gordon. The pass to Joic. Here’s Strawler. Here’s Brown. Pass to Sherther. Murray with it. Up and over. Donic. Aimura with a rebound. Aimura’s got his fourth rebound in this one. Ooh, stolen by Murray. Now Joic pass to Strawler. Six to shoot. Misses the three. Los Angeles leading by eight. James inside, defended by Gordon with the fadeaway and it’s good off the back of the rim and in. James has got 19 points. A real threat from the in between area. LeBron wastes no time firing when he gets to that spot. Back to Murray. Gordon outside pass to Joic. Shoots over Aiden and again it’s Denver missing. Los Angeles has gone five of 12 from three-point range tonight. Now here’s Reeds. Not a lot of room to the inside. Second shot opportunity and he makes it. Aiden’s got 11 points and the defense has no one to blame but themselves. I mean they just let him get right to the rim. That’s a great possession. Put your best players in a position to succeed. remaining in the first half. Two yards. Here’s Donic. Here’s Reeves. Great D that time from Joic. Nuggets trail by 12. Here’s Strawther. Oh, a dunk and a foul. A powerhouse move. He’s got a chance for one more the line. That one on. Donic Vincent checked in for the Lakers. That’s his first personal foul. 13 fouls. at the line for
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