## Jokic Owns the Paint, But the Lakers Found a Crack
Denver played the Lakers on Tuesday night, March 24th, 2026, and if you missed it, you missed a clinic. The Nuggets walked out of Ball Arena with a 118-112 win, and Nikola Jokic did what Nikola Jokic does: put up a casual 34 points, 15 rebounds, and 10 assists. That's his 17th triple-double of the season. He’s a problem.
The Lakers, to their credit, didn’t just roll over. Anthony Davis had 28 points and 13 boards, and LeBron James chipped in with 25 points, 8 assists, and 7 rebounds. They battled, particularly in the fourth quarter, cutting a 14-point deficit down to four with just over two minutes left. Here's the thing: it wasn't enough. Denver just has an answer for everything.
Let's rewind to the start of the fourth, with Denver up 92-82. LeBron had just hit a pull-up three over Michael Porter Jr. to end the third, giving the Lakers a little juice. But the Nuggets, they don't flinch. Their first possession of the fourth, Jamal Murray brings it up, calls for a high screen from Jokic. Reaves fights over, Davis sags. Murray gets a step, dishes it back to Jokic at the top of the key. AD is already recovering, but Jokic sees Kentavious Caldwell-Pope flashing backdoor. Easy two points. That's a classic Denver action, one they've run a thousand times.
The Lakers respond with a D'Angelo Russell floater in the lane, cutting it back to 10. Then comes a critical sequence. Denver gets a stop, Porter Jr. misses a contested three from the corner. Lakers push, Austin Reaves drives hard right against Caldwell-Pope, gets to the rim, and draws a foul on Murray who was rotating late. Two free throws, makes both. Now it's 94-86. The crowd's getting a little antsy.
This is where the champs show you why they’re the champs. Jokic gets the ball at the elbow, calls for Gordon to cut. Gordon sets a quick screen for Murray, who flashes to the wing. Jokic throws a perfect bounce pass, Murray catches, takes one dribble, and drains a three over Russell. Swish. Ball Arena erupts. That's the kind of play that just deflates opponents. They think they've got a run going, and Jokic just says "nope." That shot pushed the lead back to 11, 97-86, with 9:45 left.
The Lakers kept fighting. LeBron started to get aggressive. He hit a tough fadeaway over Gordon at the 8:30 mark. Then, after a Nuggets turnover (a rare bad pass from Jokic attempting to hit Porter Jr. on the cut), LeBron went to work again. He drove left, blew past Caldwell-Pope, and finished with a strong right-hand layup over Jokic. The lead was down to seven, 99-92. It felt like the Lakers were finally getting some rhythm.
But here’s the problem with trying to out-Jokic Jokic: you can’t. On the very next possession, the big man got the ball on the block against Davis. He backed him down, one dribble, two dribbles, a little shoulder fake, then spun left for a soft hook shot that kissed off the glass and in. AD played good defense, but Jokic just has too many moves. That's 101-92.
### The Lakers' Fourth Quarter Push
The Lakers, though, weren't dead. Around the 6:00 mark, with the score 105-96, LeBron decided it was time. He hit a contested three from the wing over Porter Jr. Then, after a Murray miss, Russell found James cutting backdoor for an easy dunk. Suddenly, it was 105-101 with 5:15 remaining. Timeout Denver. LeBron had just scored five quick points, and the Lakers had all the momentum.
Coach Malone didn't say much in the huddle. He just pointed to Jokic. And Jokic delivered. Coming out of the timeout, Denver ran a simple pick-and-roll with Murray and Jokic. Davis hedged hard, Reaves went under. Jokic rolled to the rim, Murray hit him with a pocket pass, and Jokic finished with an easy dunk. That's the kind of high-IQ basketball that makes this team so deadly. Re-establish the lead, stop the run. 107-101.
The Lakers continued to lean on Davis. AD hit a mid-range jumper from the baseline with 4:00 left, making it 107-103. Then, after a Jokic offensive foul (a rare charge call against him when he tried to back down Davis), the Lakers had a chance to cut it to two. Russell drove, kicked it to Reaves in the corner, but his three clanked off the front rim. That was a big miss. You just can't waste those possessions against Denver.
And what happened next was vintage Nuggets. Murray brought the ball up, saw LeBron guarding him. He waited for Jokic to set a screen, then exploded off it. He blew past LeBron, got into the lane, and hit a tough floater over Davis. That's a huge bucket in a tight game, pushing it to 109-103 with 3:15 left.
Here's my hot take: D'Angelo Russell isn't good enough to be the third option on a championship team. He's too inconsistent. He had 16 points, which looks okay on the box score, but he missed some crucial shots down the stretch and had two turnovers in the fourth quarter. You need someone who can consistently relieve pressure from LeBron and AD, and Russell just doesn't do it often enough.
The Lakers kept pushing. Davis got an offensive rebound and putback, cutting it to 111-107 with 2:20 left. But that was as close as they got. On the next Denver possession, Porter Jr. hit a wide-open three from the wing. Jokic had drawn Davis out to the free-throw line, then hit Porter Jr. with a cross-court pass. No hesitation. Swish. That pushed the lead to seven, 114-107, and that was pretty much the dagger.
The final two minutes were mostly free throws and a couple of desperation threes from the Lakers that didn't connect. Jokic sealed it with two free throws of his own with 30 seconds left, making it 118-110. The Lakers just ran out of gas, and out of answers for the reigning champions.
**Prediction:** Denver sweeps the Lakers in the playoffs if they meet. It’s just too much Jokic.