The Los Angeles Lakers looked fantastic on Saturday night, beating their long-time rivals, the Denver Nuggets, on the road.
It was a great night for several stars, most notably Luka Doncic, who went off with 32 points, 10 rebounds, and seven assists over his old friend Nikola Jokic.
Everything about the Lakers, from the offense to the defense to the energy, was all top-notch, and fans loved what they saw.
Shannon Sharpe was blown away and made a bold claim on Monday’s “First Take.”
Speaking of the Lakers’ potential playoff matchup with the Oklahoma City Thunder, Sharpe said LA would win.
“OKC, KFC, UFC, Lakers in five,” Sharpe said.
“OKC, KFC, UFC, Lakers in five.”
—@ShannonSharpe on the Thunder 😭 pic.twitter.com/jQ0kXzdhTG
— First Take (@FirstTake) February 24, 2025
A few weeks ago, few people would have predicted the Lakers could beat the Thunder in the postseason.
But a lot has changed recently.
Not only did Doncic come to the team, but the rest of the roster has become more comfortable playing on both ends of the court.
When Anthony Davis left, a lot of LA faithful were worried that JJ Redick wouldn’t have many options in the frontcourt and Jaxson Hayes wouldn’t be enough.
However, Redick has spread the wealth around and has relied on all of the team to step up their defense.
In fact, Hayes scored just four points and four rebounds on Saturday and the Lakers never had a problem with defense.
Their defense was so strong, in fact, that they were able to shut down one of the most brilliant offensive talents of all time, Jokic.
Can they do that with the Thunder in the playoffs?
It’ll be tough, without a doubt, especially since OKC has so many threats across their roster.
But the Lakers are proving that they have their own set of secret weapons and can thrive on both offense and defense.
NEXT: Analyst Believes Luka Doncic Might Be LeBron James’ Best Teammate Ever
