The Lakers escape disaster on the road thanks to a LeBron James basket in the waning moments of overtime.
The Lakers defeated the Utah Jazz on Tuesday, 135-133, in their last game of the year. The Jazz persevered despite losing important players, as they have all season. Yet LeBron James’ game-winning shot helped the Lakers prevail in overtime.
Due to their tiebreaker advantage over the Golden State Warriors, who are also 41-38 as of this writing, the win extends the Lakers’ winning run to four games and gives them sole ownership of the sixth slot.
The Jazz were shorthanded, yet the first quarter was closely contested. Early on, Austin Reaves scored nine points, while Anthony Davis once more caused trouble in the paint by scoring 10 points. The Lakers led by just one point after the first 12 minutes, despite the strong offensive start.
LeBron take off 🛫 pic.twitter.com/ey9bCBhVUn
— Spectrum SportsNet (@SpectrumSN) April 5, 2023
Dennis Schröder was chosen to start the game since D’Angelo Russell was unable to due to foot pain. After three straight baskets in the second quarter, Schröder got hot and finished the game with 18 points and 4 assists.
Rui Hachimura put on a solid performance to back up what was likely his finest game as a Laker. He scored seven points in the second quarter by himself to help the Lakers hold onto their narrow lead. He came off the bench to end the game with 17.
Even though the Jazz kept things close for the majority of the first half, the Lakers gained some distance at the break, leading 68-57.
On Tuesday, unfortunately, they continued to struggle in the third quarter as the Jazz embarked on an 11-0 run early in the second half to reduce the margin to just three. LeBron sank another three from the other corner to give Los Angeles control once again after Jared Vanderbilt put an end to the run with a corner three.
Reaves’ injury scare midway through the quarter, which required him to go to the locker room, only made things worse. Thankfully, there was still 2:18 in the quarter when he was allowed to come back.
With 9:53 remaining in the game, a dunk by Luka Semanic gave Utah the lead after trailing for the entirety of the contest. The Lakers were able to reclaim control thanks to Davis’ comeback. James and Davis played a significant amount in the final five minutes, and suddenly their lead grew back to double digits. Utah, though, just wouldn’t leave.
During a 10-0 run in the last minute, two free throws from former Laker Damian Jones amazingly tied the game. At the last second, James had a chance to win the game, but he missed his layup attempt, forcing overtime.
The additional time was a blur. With 90 seconds remaining and the game knotted at 129, Kelly Olynk made another clutch three-pointer to give Utah the lead. After Utah committed an offensive foul, Reaves answered with a jump shot, and L.A. soon received the ball back. James was fouled while driving, and he made both of his free throw attempts to retake the lead.
With 35 seconds left in the game, the Lakers had to foul Talen-Horton Tucker following a botched defensive possession. James eventually forced his way to the basket to score and end the game.
Main Points
Even if it wasn’t nice, victories at this point are priceless. As they prepare to play the Los Angeles Clippers, their crosstown rivals, the Lakers are moving up the standings and gaining momentum.
This is the “first important game” between the two clubs, according to Clippers head coach Ty Lue, as they had never met in a postseason setting.
It’s difficult to contest this assertion given that both clubs have a 41-38 record with only a few games remaining. The Lakers’ big three’s availability for the back-to-back is their greatest unknown. There are never any assurances when it comes to this team’s health, and while it is assumed that Davis and James will play tomorrow, Russell missed the game tonight.
With less than 24 hours until the greatest game of the year, Lakers Fans will be eagerly awaiting any information.
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