NBA

Doncic takes Lakers to second place in West

The Celtics defeated the Nuggets in a game featuring the two-time defending NBA champions.

El escolta de Los Angeles Lakers Luka Doncic, a la derecha, es felicitado por el alero LeBron James tras anotar durante la primera mitad de un partido de baloncesto de la NBA contra Los Angeles Clippers. — LeBron James and Luka Doncic celebrate the win.AP / Cordon Press

Published by

Israel Duro

March 3, 2025

4 minutes read

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Luka Doncic's arrival has elevated the Lakers to a new level. The team has transformed from one that was once struggling to secure a direct playoff spot to claiming the second seed in the highly competitive Western Conference—a position they hadn't held since 2021—following their win against the Clippers. Additionally, the night featured the Celtics' victory over the Nuggets in a head-to-head clash between the NBA’s last two champions.

The Slovenian star was the key figure in the victory over their neighbors, delivering 29 points and nine assists. LeBron James, usually the center of attention in photos and headlines, came close to a double-double with 17 points and nine assists, though his numbers were more modest compared to the Lakers' new leading man.

LeBron James, one point away from reaching 50,000 in his career

In fact, he fell just one point short of becoming the first player to reach 50,000 career points in his 22-year NBA journey. That milestone now awaits the next game—on Tuesday against the Pelicans, in front of his home crowd at Crypto.com Arena. It’s a record chase in which the veteran forward competes only against himself, having already surpassed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the league’s all-time leading scorer in 2023.

Behind the veteran forward in this historic ranking are Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (44,149 points), Karl Malone (41,689), Kobe Bryant (39,283), and Michael Jordan (38,279). At 40 years old, LeBron continues to compete at the highest level, and with the blockbuster addition of Luka Doncic, the Lakers have their sights set on making a solid playoff run. With a formidable offense and a roster built to contend, they aim to be a true force in the NBA Finals.

With Dončić on the team, the Lakers have built an impressive streak of six consecutive wins, propelling them to a 38-21 record. This surge has allowed them to overtake the Denver Nuggets and move into second place in the Western Conference. They now trail only the conference-leading Oklahoma City Thunder (49-11) as they continue their push toward the playoffs.

Celtics win a thrilling game

To reach this position, the Lakers benefited from the invaluable help of the Celtics—currently second in the East—who defeated the Nuggets 110-103 in a clash between the last two NBA champions.

The defending champions, the Celtics, had to fight until the very end after holding a 20-point lead in front of their TD Garden crowd. They found themselves in danger of losing, with the Nuggets closing the gap to just a three-pointer down, trailing 102-99 with a little over a minute remaining.

However, Dominican Al Horford made the decisive play by intercepting a pass from Jamal Murray, then driving the length of the court to score and give the Celtics a seven-point lead with 33 seconds remaining. The 38-year-old center finished with a career-high 19 points, eight rebounds, and three steals.

For the Nuggets, Jamal Murray scored 26 points, while Nikola Jokic came close to a triple-double with 20 points, 14 rebounds, and nine assists.

Tenth straight win for the unstoppable Cavs

The Celtics, second in the East, remain 7.5 games behind the Cleveland Cavaliers, who narrowly defeated the Portland Trail Blazers 133-129 in overtime. With the victory, the Cavs extended their winning streak to 10 games and became the 12th team in NBA history to reach at least 50 wins in their first 60 games of the season.

To achieve this, Cleveland had to rally from an 18-point deficit without their star, Donovan Mitchell, who took the night off.