On Saturday, the Los Angeles Lakers and the Denver Nuggets delivered a matchup worthy of the national spotlight. The two heavyweights went back and forth the entire night. First, it was the Purple & Gold who came in swinging, establishing a 17-point lead. Then the Nuggets clawed back and briefly seized a 7-point advantage late in the game. After this, it was all chaos.
Lakers star Austin Reaves missed a free throw with just five seconds to spare, chased the rebound like a madman, and tied the game with a desperate layup. Overtime followed, where the two again were trading blows until Luka Doncic buried a dagger single-legged to seal the win for Los Angeles, which sent the entire Crypto.com Arena into a frenzy, including tennis legend and five-time Grand Slam champion, Maria Sharapova, who was seated courtside.
Following this, the 38-year-old headed to the tunnel to do a special gesture for the Lakers’ standout performer of the night, according to The California Post’s Michael J. Duarte. “Tennis star Maria Sharapova waited after the game outside the Lakers’ tunnel to say hello to Luka Doncic,” he reported. The two then spent a moment chatting with each other and even posed for pictures.
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One of which, Sharapova later posted on her official Instagram account with a strong caption. “Clutch!! 💪🏆,” she wrote. Well, the Slovenian guard was clutch indeed for the Lakers on Saturday night, as he backed up his 51-point performance against Chicago with a triple-double against Denver.
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Luka Doncic finished the matchup with 30 points, 11 rebounds, and 13 assists. This performance wasn’t just the cherry on top, but rather something that the Lakers needed to defeat the mighty Joker and Co. However, he later revealed that he couldn’t have done so without the support of the Los Angeles crowd, which, of course, included Maria Sharapova and the thousands present inside the Arena on Saturday night.
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Luka Doncic had a message for the crowd following L.A.’s thrilling win over Denver
The Los Angeles Lakers extended their winning streak to five on Saturday. However, it didn’t come without adversities. Despite a strong start, the Purple & Gold lost their footing late during the game. But thanks to Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves, and LeBron James, they were able to make a comeback. Nonetheless, an underappreciated aspect throughout this tussle was the home crowd.
The entire Crypto.com Arena was cheering for their team throughout the night, pushing them to the finishing line. And so once Luka Doncic finished the game with his terrific shot in overtime, he didn’t forget to thank his people. Speaking with the media postgame, the 26-year-old revealed that this was the best atmosphere he’s felt since joining the historic franchise, revealing he had goosebumps at one point during the game.
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“I felt like it was the best atmosphere since I’m a Laker,” Doncic told the reporters following the Lakers’ 127-125 overtime win over the Nuggets. “The whole crowd was in. It was really special to witness that. Hopefully, it’s more times, but you know, I had goosebumps a little bit. It was amazing to see and to live that moment.”
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Well, he did not disappoint the crowd, which showed unwavering support for him through an all-around stellar performance, which now strengthens his case for his first-ever MVP title. Thus far, Doncic is averaging 32.8 points, 8.0 rebounds, and 8.5 assists, which is on par with two of his biggest rivals, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Nikola Jokic. And if he continues to perform at this rate, he might even leave them behind.