Lakers Light Up Stage as They Triumph Over Grizzlies

Over the last three calendar years, the Los Angeles Lakers have been mostly unable to beat the Denver Nuggets , especially when it has mattered most. On Saturday, they faced a critical late-season game versus Denver that had definite playoff implications, and for a period of time, it looked like the same bad movie their fans have witnessed over the past few years. While Los Angeles took control in the first half and built as much as a 17-point lead, the Nuggets fought back in the third quarter and turned this into a dogfight.

They took the lead early in the fourth quarter, and when they were up 109-102 with less than four minutes to go, it looked like they would prevail yet again against LeBron James and crew. But the Lakers have been outstanding in clutch games (defined by the NBA as a margin of five points or fewer in the last five minutes of the fourth quarter) this season, and they showed lots of resolve. Despite committing some costly turnovers, they gave themselves a chance to win, and Austin Reaves turned out to be their biggest hero.

With 6. 4 seconds left and the Lakers down 118-115, Cameron Johnson committed an intentional foul on Reaves to prevent him from getting off a shot. Reaves made the first free throw, then he intentionally missed the second free throw by shooting it flat, short and a bit to his left.

He instantly pounced on the carom and got the basketball back, then he made a short shot on the baseline that forced overtime. Overtime was a slugfest, but Los Angeles had a little more punch than the Nuggets, which set the stage for Luka Doncic to be its other hero. He drove to the left and evaded multiple defenders to hit a baseline jumper with 0.