The Lakers had no answer for 23-year-old rising superstar Anthony Edwards, who collected 22 points, nine assists and eight rebounds in 35 minutes of work. He could have had a lot more. His teammates had a ton of open looks, too, and knocked them down, combining to shoot 17-of-33 from deep (51.5 3P%).

Denver still has the best player in the world in Nikola Jokić. With a exception of a down postseason from his running mate in 2024, Jokić and Jamal Murray are among the league's bigger playoff risers. And the Nuggets ending the season 3-0 under their interim coach could be more than the typical "new coach bump."