Lakers vs. Nuggets: Why Luka Dončić’s game-winner could be season’s most important shot

The Los Angeles Lakers’ dramatic 127-125 overtime win over the Denver Nuggets, which Luka Dončić finished with a game-winning stepback jumper in the final second of overtime, was one of the best games of the season. It could also become one of the most important.

After jumping out to an early double-digit lead, the Lakers pushed their advantage to 17 in the second quarter and were cruising until the Nuggets embarked on a big comeback late in the third. Eventually, the Nuggets took the lead, which grew to eight late in the fourth. All of a sudden, it was the Lakers who needed a comeback. They accomplished one in a miraculous way.

To force overtime, Austin Reaves pulled off one of the best intentionally missed free throw routines you’ll ever see. The Nuggets, up three, fouled Reaves with 5.2 seconds remaining. Reaves made the first free throw, then launched the second from the front of the rim. The ball ricocheted to him on the right wing and he placed a floater to send things into overtime.

“JJ told me to tell AR to miss the right. So he missed the left,” Dončić joked. “So it was a good play. It’s very difficult to do.”

There was some sloppy play and several missed shots early in overtime, which allowed neither team to pull away. And after Nikola Jokić equalized with 15 seconds remaining, the Lakers had the ball with a chance to win.

Dončić obliged with one of his patented jumpers. The Nuggets tried to double-team him, but they couldn’t find the right angles, which gave Dončić the space to drive left toward the baseline. Spencer Jones recovered and made a spirited contest, but it was in vain. Dončić only caught the net for arguably his signature moment with the Lakers thus far.

“A lot of legends played here. They leave a lot of things behind with the Lakers,” Dončić said. “So obviously I did [envision this when I was traded here]Obviously we’re still in the regular season, but it was kind of that feeling today, for sure.”

Dončić finished with 30 points, 11 rebounds and 13 assists for his eighth triple-double of the season, helping the Lakers extend their winning streak to five games. They have won eight of their last nine games and moved into third place in the Western Conference.

Lakers win critical tiebreaker against Nuggets

Many of the Western Conference seeding battles seem likely to come down to the final days of the season. Entering Saturday, the Nos. 2-6 seeds all had 41 wins and were separated by a half-game.

Here’s a look at the standings before the Lakers-Nuggets game:

And here’s a look at the standings after the Lakers’ victory.

The Lakers fell from fourth to third and the Nuggets from fifth to sixth, showing how important each game is at this point in the crowded West. But more importantly, the Lakers’ victory gave them the tiebreaker of the season against the Nuggets (2-1, with no matchup between the teams).

If the Lakers and Nuggets end up with identical records at the end of the season – a very real possibility – the Lakers would get the higher seed. That could be the difference between earning the third seed and staying out of the bracket of the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder. It could also be the difference between securing the No. 4 seed and gaining home-court advantage in the first round.

Dončić’s shot is one of the highlights of the season, and it could prove to be much bigger than that.