FROM ABOVE ARTICLE:

Has everyone forgotten about Playoff Luka? He’s not a myth.
Luka Doncic’s 51-point masterclass on Thursday night was another reminder that Doncic is the most effortless scorer in the NBA. The offensive explosion from Luka powered the Los Angeles Lakers to their fourth-straight victory, and LA was tied for the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference entering Saturday.

With the playoffs fast approaching, and with Doncic flaunting top form, it’s worth acknowledging to Lakers doubters that Luka has a history of elevating his play in the postseason. This means LA could be in for a surprise run at a title.

Luka’s tendency for playoff heroics gives the Lakers contention hopes

If you’re looking at Luka’s 26-29 playoff record as an indication of his postseason performance, you’re missing the point, which is this: Doncic led multiple Dallas Mavericks teams to unexpected playoff success, due to his postseason scoring prowess and natural flair for clutch play.

In the 2020 bubble playoffs, a 21-year-old Luka hit a game-winning, step-back three in overtime against the Los Angeles Clippers to stave off a 3-1 series deficit. In case you’ve forgotten how epic this was, take a look below.

That wasn’t Luka’s only game-clinching 3 in a playoff game. In 2024, in Game 2 of the Western Conference Finals, Luka hit a dagger 3 over Rudy Gobert and the Minnesota Timberwolves to give the Mavs a 2-0 series lead.

What made the shot even more cold-blooded was that it was on the road in Minnesota. (Gobert fans, maybe skip the video below for your mental health).

Moreover, Luka’s playoff history isn’t the tale of a couple of huge moments surrounded by status quo production. He levels up in the postseason, in general. Luka’s 30.9 points per game in the playoffs exceeds his career scoring average in the regular season (29.1).

A 22-year-old Doncic averaged 35.7 points per game in a 7-game bloodbath with the Clippers in the first round of the 2021 playoffs, with Doncic dropping 46 points in the Game 7 loss.

The following postseason, Luka led a No. 4-seed Mavs squad to the Western Conference Finals with a 31.7 PPG playoffs. This was pre-Kyrie Irving, by the way. Dallas had no business getting to the WCF, but they did have Playoff Luka.

When Luka Doncic is healthy, he’s unstoppable in the playoffs

“But Luka lost in the 2024 NBA Finals! And he lost in the first round of the 2025 playoffs!” Such are the arguments of passionate Luka haters who are ignoring the fact that Doncic’s body wasn’t close to 100 percent in either of the aforementioned series.

In the 2024 Finals, Luka was suffering from multiple lower body ailments that had accrued over the course of the season and had become more acutely painful during Dallas’ playoff run. He was basically mummified in ice bags every time he came out of the game.

And last season, in his debut playoffs with the Lake Show, Doncic was infamously out of shape and still getting used to his new team. LA didn’t stand a chance against the Wolves, and for what it’s worth, Luka still averaged 30.2 points per game in the 5-contest series loss.

All of this isn’t to say that Luka deserves a free pass for his conditioning and durability problems. The point here is that, if and when Luka is healthy, he’s absolutely a playoff riser, with the big moments and overall massive production to show for it.

As such, Luka’s habit of taking his game to another level in the postseason is something that could alter the Western Conference landscape in this coming playoffs. A lot of people have discarded the 2025-26 Lakers as an assumed first or second round exit. Fair enough. Doncic will need some help if LA is going to make a surprising run.

But if we’re about to see the Playoff Luka that’s emerged in multiple postseasons before, the Lakers’ ceiling is much higher than most people realize. Playoff Luka is an entity that no one can stop, not even the Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs of the present.

FROM ABOVE ARTICLE:

NBA…where amazing things happen

Man, what a game!

I often hear from my European coaching friends how NBA regular-season games are often unwatchable, but nights like this make everything worth it. Or in my case, morning, as I woke up early, couldn’t sleep well because of back problems, then gutted through the game with spasms, only to jump in the air at the end. And regret it immediately as my body fell like 41-year old LeBron James did after he made that crazy Dennis Rodman-sytle full-horizontal Superman dive with the game on the line.

That play was just one of many crazy moments that will make this game about as iconic as a regular-season game can get.

Huge game with high stakes, a game that almost counts double because of the standings and the tiebreaker on the line. A game with wild shots, mistakes, and swings… and the Lakers managing to escape with a win on a last-second Luka Dončić winner in overtime.

Today’s notes:

Luka delivers his first Lakers game-winner (VIDEO)

Austin Reaves’ imperfect high-scoring game, with perfect missed-free-throw execution (VIDEO)

Nuggets put pressure on Smart, Smart responds with huge plays (VIDEO)

Deandre Ayton’s overtime resurrection (VIDEO)

Shotmaking, one of the many wild swings

1-Luka delivers his first Lakers game-winner (VIDEO)

Over the last couple of days I got sucked into endless debates on X over Luka Dončić and his stature in the league, the MVP race, and best-player conversations. The man has been subject to nationwide, months-long criticism, when even analysts who watch him and the team closely thought winning the Player of the Month award in January was not enough to be in the MVP conversation.

Dončić’s recent play is the best way to quiet the noise, playing his best basketball at the right time, following up his first 50-point game as a Laker with his first game-winner in purple and gold, showing the NBA is still his stage and that he can outduel even the best player in the world on any given night, with a last-second overtime game-winner.

Dončić played another very solid all-around game, collecting a 30-point, 13-assist, 11-rebound triple-double, along with another solid effort and defensive playmaking performance with four stocks.

However, for most of the second half it looked like his shotmaking, with Dončić just 10 of 26 from the floor, would not be enough to beat the unsolvable puzzle that is Nikola Jokić and the high-octane Nuggets offense. But like he did several times this season, Dončić made some key shots when it mattered the most.

With less than three minutes to go in regulation, he scored six consecutive points on two rare occasions when the Nuggets didn’t double him. Two three-point plays against Jamal Murray erased a dangerous six-point lead. The game-winning bucket was a similar setup, when Dončić managed to escape the double by a quick drive to his left, beating Spencer Jones to his preferred baseline spot.

Before the Luka trade, the Lakers had lost 16 of their last 20 vs. the Nuggets.

Since the trade, they’re 4-1 against Denver when Luka plays.
2-Austin Reaves’ imperfect high-scoring game, with perfect missed-free-throw execution (VIDEO)

Dončić’s game-winner, and even overtime, wouldn’t have been possible if Austin Reaves hadn’t executed an almost perfect sequence of a missed free throw followed by a putback that forced overtime (see an amazing slow-motion angle here), a play reminiscent of one Dončić made a couple of years back as a Maverick during his special 60–21–10 night. Reaves apparently overruled JJ Redick’s instructions and instead went with his instincts, missing left rather than right and making an amazing play.

Reaves had another efficient scoring night, his third 30-point game in a row, scoring 32 points on 12-of-21 shooting, playing his role as the secondary attacker, attacking closeouts and gaps off Dončić almost to perfection.

Almost, because Reaves had four fourth-quarter turnovers that could have been devastating if not for a couple of lucky bounces at the end. One was a bad skip-ahead pass that was stolen and resulted in an Aaron Gordon corner three with less than two minutes to go. The other, officially counted as a missed field goal, came after his drive downhill off a Dončić double-team with 17 seconds left in regulation.

Luckily, the Lakers came up with enough crucial stops to make up for some of the mistakes they made in high-pressure late-game situations.

3-Nuggets put pressure on Smart, Smart responds with huge plays (VIDEO)

When it comes to crucial stops, you cannot imagine a Lakers win without Marcus Smart having his hands all over it. Literally!

Smart made several crucial plays in key moments, including the last of his five steals on a crucial last-minute possession in regulation, and a super important three-pointer with 30 seconds left in overtime.

As I predicted in my preview, the Lakers were deliberate about attacking Jokić all game. David Adelman started the game in drop against Dončić, then scrapped that tactic after four minutes and two early Dončić threes, switching to hedge and blitz. The other tweak Adelman made is something they used in the previous matchup, but leaned on much more last night, which was putting Jokić on Smart, sending doubles at Dončić and daring Smart to shoot. The Lakers had a similar strategy on the other end, doubling Jokić for most of the game, resulting in both stars collecting triple-doubles and posting big assist numbers.

If we learned anything about Smart this season, it is that no matter what happens he won’t lose confidence in his shot and stop shooting. The Nuggets’ tactic didn’t scare Smart. If anything, it was the opposite, as he took 12 three-point attempts.

He opened the game hot, making four of his six threes, mostly in pick-and-pop situations against Jokić. But Smart followed that up with five misses in a row during the stretch in the third quarter when the Lakers ended up losing their early 17-point lead and seemed to settle for Smart threes too easily.

Source: NBA official website

Tactically, it was easy to question the Lakers settling for those third-quarter Smart threes. But seeing him take them, and then hit the crucial one in overtime after missing two similar late-game opportunities in the previous game against Denver, you could admire the trust and the potential upside of his teammates’ belief in Smart to deliver in big moments.

4-Deandre Ayton’s overtime resurrection (VIDEO)

My Ayton game notes were almost sealed before overtime: too passive, not nearly enough force, getting blocked and stripped on a couple of attempts at the rim. Benched again in the fourth quarter in favour of Jaxson Hayes and small-ball.

Then overtime came with the Lakers opening the period with their starting group, and more importantly with a newly found spirit. Ayton was a non-factor with a five-point, seven-rebound game in regulation, but stepped up and made a huge impact when overtime offered a bonus chance for redemption. Redick decided to give Ayton a chance defending isolations without help for a couple of possessions, going away from their double-team strategy, and Ayton delivered with two huge baskets and several crucial defensive stops against Murray and Jokić.

Now, Ayton not grabbing the rebound after that last block was an example of small but often crucial lapses that make Ayton such a puzzling player to understand. It gave Jokić another chance, which he took full advantage of on the subsequent play, scoring on a drive with a hook over Ayton. But overall, seeing Ayton contribute in a win and make a late stand against Jokić was encouraging.

5-Shotmaking, one of the many wild swings

In my preview I said the Lakers would have to have a good shotmaking game and get lucky with the Nuggets missing some threes to overcome Jokić and the NBA’s best offense. Early in the game, both things happened and the Lakers were in full control. The Lakers shot 9 of 20, or 45%, from three in the first half, while the Nuggets were only 7 of 22, or 32%. Murray, who was on fire against the Lakers in the prior two games, couldn’t make a shot, missing his next 13 attempts after making the first one.

Source: NBA official website

But after a good start, the Lakers went cold from outside while the Nuggets caught fire, making 11 of their 23 three-point attempts in the second half. Just one of many wild swings in this game. Especially in the fourth quarter, it seemed that Aaron Gordon and the rest of the Nuggets made every possible corner three, with each one looking like a dagger that would put the Lakers’ hopes away for good.

But Reaves, who scored 14 in the fourth, Smart, Dončić, and the rest always found a way to respond and eventually win a game in which the Nuggets shot 40% from three and an unbelievable 11 of 14 from the corners.

Another of the many positives from last night, and another reason why winning this game, as wild as the swings and the ending were, felt well deserved in the end.

SO MUCH FOR THE LAKERS KILLER. THANKS, MARCUS!

Jamal Murray earned the ‘Hot Garbage Treatment’ for his horrid performance in Denver’s 127-125 LOSS vs. Los Angeles Lakers 5 PTS, 1/14 FGM – 7.1 FG%, 1/7 3PM, LOSS Thoughts on his performance? pic.twitter.com/jgC1zuWCbh— Courtside Buzz (@CourtsideBuzzX) March 15, 2026

Outside of the BIG 3, he’s the most important Laker. pic.twitter.com/5Vz7TkSxzl— Witness King James (@WITNESSKJ) March 15, 2026

HANG IT IN THE LOUVRE! 🖼️Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves might be the most clutch duo in the NBA right now 🔥 pic.twitter.com/BN6wjNe6z5— Mark Jackson’s Burner (@casualtakeking) March 15, 2026

BREAKING: THE LAKERS ARE THE NO. 3 SEED. 🔥👀SCARY HOURS #lakeshow pic.twitter.com/sghVmxGiHM— 𝟐𝟑 👑 (@BronWorld) March 15, 2026

"The Lakers are going to LOSE this game tonight, GUARANTEE! This little pretty girl wearing a LeBron jersey is going to be crying in 2 hours"- Charles Barkley pic.twitter.com/jrvN3YMluW— LakeShowYo (@LakeShowYo) March 15, 2026

This is my best friend's son! He got "fan of the game" at the Lakers game. It was his very first Lakers game too. pic.twitter.com/1IadTECI8j— Doug McKain (@DMAC_LA) March 15, 2026

“Just a big-time shot by a f—ing generational player. … We wanted the last shot. We wanted to put the ball in our guy's hands. So, it's going to be just the first of many game winners like that for him and in a Lakers uniform.” – LeBron James on Luka Doncic’s game winner pic.twitter.com/UhTsEIovS6— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) March 15, 2026

Austin talking to the basketball after forcing overtime 😂 pic.twitter.com/SaArMUSvE4— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) March 15, 2026

And we have the first Lakers overtime of the season: Austin Reaves intentionally misses his second FT, gets the offensive rebounds and makes a floater to tie the game 118-118. Incredible comeback from LA to extend this game.— Jovan Buha (@jovanbuha) March 15, 2026

FROM ABOVE ARTICLE:

When Deandre Ayton is playing his best, it elevates how good the Lakers can be.

It’s very clear how good Deandre Ayton can be. He was picked No. 1 in the same draft as Luka Dončić because he can dominate as a scorer, rebounder and even as a defender.

When he reaches those heights, he flirts with his maximum potential. But when he falls short of that quality, it’s equally disappointing.

During the Lakers’ current homestand, Ayton has been the best version of himself. Against the Wolves, he had 14 points and 12 rebounds as the Lakers dominated Minnesota.

After the win, Austin Reaves talked about how much Ayton matters to this team.

“He was a monster…” Reaves said. “He was the only person scoring for us efficiently and then just being high energy on the other end. Just doing what he does and that’s what we need him to do. When he does that, we’re a different team. We’re thankful to have him.”

While Ayton has had moments of disappointment, he’s still the starting center for the Lakers. When he registers a double-double as he did against Minnesota, the Lakers dominate. During the 20 times this year, Ayton has accomplished this feat, LA is 17-3 in those contests.

So, getting Ayton producing puts the Lakers in a position to win.

”I think he was very locked in today,” Dončić said after the win over the Wolves. “He was huge for us today. We need to encourage him to keep doing like that. When he plays like that, it helps as well.”

While Ayton is oozing with talent, he seems to be a player who needs the encouragement Luka is talking about. He’s a big who needs to get fed the ball and feel involved so he can bring his best. The Lakers have done big and small things to keep him engaged. A clear example of this is them making t-shirts for Ayton that encourage him to be a lion.

Ayton followed up his performance against the Wolves with an equally impressive game against the Bulls. He earned another double-double, and the Lakers won again, making them the third seed in the West.

Sure, Ayton can be frustrating and inconsistent at times, but his dominance raises the ceiling for this team. When he’s at the top of his game, he is far and away the best center on the team. And with the West featuring players like Nikola Jokić and Rudy Gobert on playoff teams, Ayton can help neutralize them with his game.

Hopefully, his current stretch of good games will lead to more productive performances from Ayton as the Lakers enter the home stretch of the season.