Luka Doncic Admits One Thing Gave Him ‘Goosebumps’ During Lakers’ OT Thriller

The Los Angeles Lakers grabbed a thrilling overtime 127-125 win over the Denver Nuggets on Saturday night.

It marked their fifth straight win and eight in the last nine games, pushing them into the third seed in the Western Conference standings.

After Los Angeles controlled much of the first half behind a double-digit lead, Denver erased the deficit in the third quarter and pushed their lead to seven points with just under four minutes left in regulation.

The Lakers surged back into the game behind their backcourt duo of Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves. Reaves rebounded his purposely missed second free-throw attempt with 5.2 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter into a game-tying eight-foot floater to force overtime.

Luka Doncic Reflects on 'Best Atmosphere' Since Joining the Lakers

Mar 14, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic (77) reacts after missing a shot during the second half against the Denver Nuggets at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: William Liang-Imagn Images | William Liang-Imagn Images

The intense back and forth continued into the extra period with Doncic sealing the Lakers’ victory behind a baseline fadeaway jumper with 0.5 seconds left. After the game, the six-time All-Star called it the “best atmosphere” he’s played in since becoming a Laker.

“I feel like it was the best atmosphere since I was a Laker,’ said Doncic, who registered a triple-double with 30 points, 13 assists, and 11 rebounds. “The whole crowd was in; it was special to witness that. Hopefully, it happens more times. I had goosebumps a little bit.”

Since Doncic joined the Lakers, the team’s fortunes against Denver have greatly shifted, winning four of their first five games when he is in the lineup. In fact, from Jan. 1, 2023, until the Doncic trade, Los Angeles held a 1-13 record against Denver.

It’s a welcoming change of tone for the Lakers, who are hoping to put together a strong run into the playoffs. The couple of weeks have featured some promising developments, headlined by improved team defense and Reaves rounding back into All-Star-caliber form he had before the left calf injury that cost him 19 straight games.

Reaves has posted three straight 30-point performances, while scoring 25 or more points in each of the last four contests.

What has been most encouraging for Los Angeles is that he and Doncic have excelled playing alongside each other. The two rank as the top-scoring duo in the NBA this season with 56.8 combined average points (minimum 30 games played).

The Lakers will need every bit of that over the final stretch of the season as they aim to secure a top-four playoff seed.

They will look to carry that momentum into Monday’s road game against the Houston Rockets.

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