On This Date, the Bubble Run Beat Denver. Now Doncic Owns…

By the Lakers Nightly Desk · Saturday, September 26

On September 26, 2020, the Lakers beat the Nuggets 117-107 inside the Orlando bubble, a step toward a championship that would end a decade-long wait. Six years later, the men who won that title are gone from the roster, and Luka Doncic now wears the responsibility of the franchise's next banner.

Luka Doncic of the Lakers — Luka Doncic. Photo: Erik Drost, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

The Win That Set Up 17

That September night, LeBron James and Anthony Davis beat Denver 117-107 in the 2019-20 playoffs, a step toward the championship that tied the franchise with Boston at 17 titles apiece. It closed a ten-year gap since the Lakers' last title, won over the Celtics in 2010, and put Frank Vogel's group in position for banner number seventeen. The roster that beat the Nuggets that day no longer plays for the Lakers.

The Torch Changes Hands

James left this offseason for Philadelphia, closing the chapter he and Davis opened in 2018. Davis himself is gone too, traded away on February 1, 2025, in a three-team deal with Dallas and Utah that sent him, Max Christie and a 2029 first-round pick out and brought back Doncic, Maxi Kleber and Markieff Morris. The Nuggets game marked a peak for that old core; the Doncic trade marked the start of a new one. The franchise has handed its identity down before, from George Mikan to Elgin Baylor and Jerry West, from Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant, then to James and Davis. It now belongs to Doncic.

Eighteen and Boston

The tie with the Celtics at 17 titles still sits on the scoreboard the Lakers measure themselves against, and an eighteenth banner would finally settle it. Lakers Nation reported that Rob Pelinka called Doncic the league's "greatest offensive player," and JJ Redick is building his rotation around that claim, with Quentin Grimes, Jake LaRavia and Kessler holding down the frontcourt mix behind him. Reaves remains the second read next to Doncic on the perimeter. The record is 0-0, and camp still sits ahead on the calendar.

Did the Lakers beat the Nuggets on September 26, 2020?

Yes, the Lakers won 117-107 that day in the 2019-20 playoffs, part of the run that ended in the franchise's 17th championship.

Is LeBron James still on the Lakers for 2026-27?

No, James left in free agency for the Philadelphia 76ers, and the Lakers now build their roster around Luka Doncic.

By the Lakers Nightly Desk, written from the club's data and the reports on file, with every name and number checked against them. How the desks work.