LUKA Doncic made a fall-away jumper with 0.5 seconds left in overtime to lift the Los Angeles Lakers to a 127-125 victory over the Denver Nuggets on Saturday night (Sunday, March 15, 2026, in PH), the Associated Press (AP) reported.
Austin Reaves forced overtime after rebounding his intentionally missed free throw and converting a floater with 1.9 seconds remaining in regulation.
Doncic created enough distance from Spencer Jones before knocking down the 17-foot game-winner, finishing with 30 points, 13 assists and 11 rebounds to record a triple-double as the Lakers extended their winning streak to five games.
After Denver called a timeout, Doncic also blocked Tim Hardaway Jr.’s desperation heave at the buzzer to seal the win.
Reaves led the Lakers with 32 points, including a key sequence late in regulation. He made the first of two free throws before deliberately missing the second, grabbing the rebound and scoring on a floater after the Nuggets fouled him to prevent a tying three-point attempt while leading 118-115 with 5.2 seconds left.
For Denver, Nikola Jokic recorded his 27th triple-double of the season, finishing with 24 points, 16 rebounds and 14 assists. Aaron Gordon led the Nuggets with 27 points, while Hardaway added 20.
Jamal Murray fouled out 31 seconds into overtime, ending the night with five points, six rebounds and six assists while shooting just 1-of-14 from the field.
According to AP, Houston, the Lakers, Denver and Minnesota all entered Saturday with 41 wins, battling for positioning as high as the third seed in the Western Conference.
Denver already held tiebreakers over the Rockets and Timberwolves after winning the season series against both teams, but the Lakers prevented the Nuggets from completing a sweep in the tightly packed standings.
Deandre Ayton scored four of his nine points in overtime, while Marcus Smart hit a three-pointer with 30 seconds remaining to give Los Angeles the lead. Jokic answered with a driving layup off the glass over Ayton to tie the game at 125 with 15.1 seconds left, setting up Doncic’s final shot.
Kings 118, Clippers 109
Russell Westbrook recorded his 209th career triple-double with 12 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists, while DeMar DeRozan scored 27 points to lead the Sacramento Kings to a 118-109 win over the Los Angeles Clippers.
Kawhi Leonard scored 31 points before leaving the game with a sprained left ankle, ending the Clippers’ four-game winning streak.
It was Leonard’s 45th consecutive game with at least 20 points, surpassing Bob McAdoo’s franchise record set during the 1974-75 season, when the team was based in Buffalo.
Leonard was injured with 9:27 left in the fourth quarter while guarding DeRozan. He landed awkwardly, backpedaled several steps and fell to the court before quickly getting up. Leonard limped to the Clippers’ bench and later headed to the locker room. He did not return, and there was no immediate update on his status, according to the Associated Press.
Elsewhere, the Philadelphia 76ers defeated the Brooklyn Nets 104-97, Atlanta Hawks beat Milwaukee Bucks 122-99, San Antonio Spurs topped Charlotte Hornets 115-102, Boston Celtics defeated Washington Wizards 111-100, and Orlando won 121-117 at Miami. / LBG