[Trending News] Player Grades: Lakers vs. Nuggets

With the Lakers beating the Nuggets on the road, 123-100 and Luka Dončić playing his best game in the purple and gold uniform, this victory certainly seems like a contender for the best win of the year.

Everything went L.A.’s way and not only did they win by 20-plus points, they dominated in the paint, outscored Denver 52-30 and never trailed.

So, let’s dive into the win. As always, grades are based on expectations for each player. A “B” grade represents the average performance for that player.

Rui Hachimura

36 minutes, 21 points, 4 assists, 1 steal, 7-12 FG, 4-9 3PT, 3-4 FT, +14

Offensively, Rui was fantastic in this game. He was aggressive inside, hit four 3-pointers and scored 21 points. Hachimura also demonstrated his toughness by leaving the floor in the fourth due to some kind of injury but returning to close out the game.

However, his rebounding was non-existent. Hachimura shouldn’t be playing 36 minutes and grabbing zero rebounds. He is the only Laker who played and failed to grab a rebound and that includes the players who were only in the game during garbage time.

Grade: B+

LeBron James

33 minutes, 25 points, 9 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 steal, 3 blocks, 11-19 FG, 1-4 3PT, 2-3 FT, +9

LeBron didn’t have to be a superhero for the Lakers to win. He just had to be good and he was. There were some nice lob dunks he converted on, some gorgeous outlet passes and when he needed to go in the post and get a bucket, he did.

Saturday gave us our first example of what the Luka-LeBron combo can look like when everything is going well and this preview is scary for the rest of the NBA.

Grade: A

Jaxson Hayes

25 minutes, 4 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 1 block, 2-3 FG, +8

Hayes has raised his standard of play since the Anthony Davis trade. While this team is still short a big, due to his performances, it’s hurt them less than it should. He has defended at a respectable level and makes very few bad or careless plays. If Hayes can add a couple more points and rebounds that’d be great, but as long as he continues to play like this, he’ll have a relatively good season for Los Angeles.

Grade: B+

Austin Reaves

33 minutes, 23 points, 4 rebounds, 7 assists, 1 block, 7-13 FG, 4-7 3PT, 5-6 FT, +13

Reaves is adjusting well to Luka being a Laker. He is still on-ball very much and distributing plenty of assists. His scoring continues to increase and he followed up his 32-point performance against the Blazers with 23 in the win.

Grade: A-

Luka Doncic

31 minutes, 32 points, 10 rebounds, 7 assists, 4 steals, 1 block, 10-22 FG, 4-9 3PT, 8-8 FT, +20

Don’t call it a comeback; Luka has been here for years. This was the first Luka Magic game and it was everything Lakers fans could’ve hoped for. He was jawing at players, fans and even the refs while getting bucket after bucket.

His passing was Magic Johnson-esque and every time Denver went on a run, Luka was part of a sequence that ended it. This is just the beginning of what could be a decade-long run for Luka in a Lakers uniform.

Grade: A+

Dorian Finney-Smith

27 minutes, 3 points, 4 rebounds, 2 steals, 1-5 FG, 1-4 3PT, +21

This was another classic DFS game. He was fighting for loose balls, being a defensive irritant and led the team in plus-minus with a +21. Selfishly, some more points from a player who is logging 27 minutes would be ideal, but he is on the floor as an elite defender and the Lakers are better when he is playing, regardless of his offensive numbers.

Grade: B+

Gabe Vincent

20 minutes, 3 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 1-4 FG, 1-4 3PT, +17

Vincent struggled in this game. he couldn’t find his shot and his defense was just average. When he’s not making his shots, it’s a struggle to justify him being on the court. The good thing is he’s a smart veteran who rarely makes mistakes, but he needs to hit his open jumpers.

Grade: B-

Jordan Goodwin

11 minutes, 5 points, 1 rebound, 1 assist, 2 steals, 2-3 FG, 1-2 3PT, +6

As a two-way player, during a marquee matchup, with the Lakers relatively healthy, Goodwin was one of three bench players who played ten-plus minutes. That tells you everything you need to know about how much Lakers head coach JJ Redick trusts him.

Goodwin didn’t disappoint, knocking down a 3-pointer in the fourth, applying some good ball pressure and getting a couple of steals. It might be time to make room on the roster and give him a permanent spot.

Grade: A

Jarred Vanderbilt, Dalton Knecht, Shake Milton, Alex Len, Trey Jemison III

Vando and Knecht almost played enough to earn grades but fell short of the ten minutes needed. That is probably good for them, considering how much they struggled in this win. Milton, Len and Jemision only participated during garbage time.

JJ Redick

Is Redick a Coach of the Year candidate? He made a strong case with this victory. After the win, he discussed how obsessed he was with creating a plan for this game and his team’s flawless execution of it.

Redick also challenged two calls and won both. He tightened up the rotation and easily beat a good team. When you add all of that up, I have no choice but to give him a high grade.

Grade: A+

Saturday’s DNPs: Markieff Morris, Cam Reddish

Saturday’s inactives: Bronny James, Maxi Kleber, Christian Koloko

You can follow Edwin on Twitter at @ECreates88 or on Bluesky at @ecreates88.bsky.social.