The Lakers’ Denver curse seems to be fizzling out since Luka Doncic donned the gold and purple. They are now winning games against the franchise that has dominated them over the last few years. In fact, since the trade with the Mavericks, Lakers have won 2 of their 3 contests. They registered their 2nd win of the season on Wednesday night at Crypto.com Arena despite LeBron James missing from the squad.
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The Lakers went off from the beginning, dropping 46 points in the first quarter. After a nearly unsurmountable lead over the Nuggets, who were playing without Nikola Jokic, there was no coming back.
The final nail in the coffin was put in the third quarter where they outscored the visitors 32-18. The game ended 120-108 for the home team, making it their third straight win. Additionally, the Lakers now have a 50-50 record against the Nuggets this season. Things are finally starting to fall into place for the franchise which calls for celebration.
Shannon Sharpe, a devoted fan of LeBron James and the purple and gold army took to X to express his excitement. Sharpe was impressed with Luka’s performance on Wednesday night, who dropped 31/9/7. The NFL legend wrote, “Mama, Luka on 1 again,” and filled the rest of his mobile screen with fire emojis and the classic hashtag: “#Lakersin5.”
Mama, Luka on 1 again🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥#LukaMagic #Lakersin5 #
— shannon sharpe (@ShannonSharpe) March 20, 2025
But Sharpe’s excitement wasn’t taken well by Nuggets fans. One fan pointed out Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray’s absence on the floor by calling Denver a G League team. The fan wrote, “Bros playing a G-league team don’t hype that bum up.”
Bros playing a G-league team
don’t hype that bum up— Nuggets run The West 🃏 (@Folkhero9) March 20, 2025
Calling Luka a “bum” was unacceptable for Sharpe and he clapped back with, “You didn’t say that when this same G league beat Warriors.”
Two days ago, the Nuggets beat the stacked and in-form Warriors without Jokic and Murray. With Russell Westbrook’s triple-double and Aaron Gordon’s 38-point outburst, they were able to put an end to Golden State’s winning streak.
You didn’t say that when this same G league beat Warriors. https://t.co/5CXHrGsX7M
— shannon sharpe (@ShannonSharpe) March 20, 2025
Sharpe was highlighting the irony of the narrative fans build game after game. If they win without stars, the team has depth. If they lose without the stars, they are a G League team. Sharpe’s retort was on point in this case. A win is a win, especially because the Lakers were missing LeBron James too.
Regardless, the two teams are slated to make it to the playoffs. And if they make a deep run, they will inevitably face each other. The true winner, like usual, will be decided then.