March 12, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic (77) and guard Austin Reeves (15) react during the second half at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Image The crowded Western Conference seeding battle will become more clear when the surging Los Angeles Lakers host the Denver Nuggets on Saturday night.
Entering Friday, five teams were on four-game winning streaks and were within two games of the third-place spot currently occupied by Los Angeles. The Lakers can solidify their position by defeating Denver and winning the season series.
Both have won a game in the series, and the third and final matchup is the only one in star-studded Los Angeles following LeBron James’ return from foot, elbow and hip injuries Thursday night. James, who is third on the team in scoring at 21.4 points per game, is returning to a lineup where he has played well behind Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves.
Doncic, the NBA’s leading scorer with 32.9 points, had 51 points in Thursday’s win over Chicago, while Reeves was second for Los Angeles, averaging 23.9 points. James scored 17 points against the Bulls and made just 13 shots, but he was willing to sacrifice his stats for the team.
“If it benefits others, it benefits the team,” James said. “The team is the most important thing. When we win, everyone succeeds. So it’s a sacrifice. I know what I can do individually, but what’s important to this team is being able to adapt to what’s important to this team. And that’s the only important thing.”
James missed three games after hitting his elbow on the court in a 120-113 loss at the Nuggets on March 5. Denver was in danger of slipping into the play-in tournament portion of the standings before pulling off back-to-back wins over Houston and San Antonio on Wednesday and Thursday nights.
The Nuggets rebounded from a bottom-20 spot to beat the Spurs. It was a symbolic win for a team that had been struggling since mid-February. Denver lost six of its first 10 games.
Although they were eliminated at the All-Star break, they were aiming for home-court advantage with their last two wins.
The Nuggets’ win at Texas on Thursday night came without Aaron Gordon, who missed 40 games with a separate hamstring injury.
Gordon should return against the Lakers, which means Denver will be missing only Peyton Watson heading into overtime. The Nuggets, currently ranked fifth in the West, have earned points over the Rockets and Timberwolves and could get another win on Saturday night.
Denver is led by Nikola Jokic, who is averaging a triple-double (28.7 points, 12.7 rebounds, 10.4 assists), and Jamal Murray, who is averaging 25.7 points, but they need the next generation of players to thrive.
Cameron Johnson, who arrived in the Michael Porter Jr. trade with Brooklyn in the offseason, has begun his recovery after missing 26 games with ankle and knee injuries. Johnson had 17 points and 15 points against Houston on Thursday night.
“Sometimes it seems like he’s trying to make the perfect play instead of making the play that’s in front of him,” coach David Adelman said. “… These guys have to find their rhythm.”
–Field level media
