Lakers survive Nuggets in OT on late heroics from Reaves and Doncic
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The Los Angeles Lakers clawed past the Denver Nuggets 127-125 in overtime Saturday night at Crypto.com Arena, sealing their fifth straight victory behind Austin Reaves’ last-second ingenuity and Luka Doncic’s buzzer work.
Reaves forces overtime
Trailing 118-116 with 5.2 seconds left in regulation, Reaves intentionally missed the second of two free throws, chased down the rebound and dropped a 9-foot floater with 1.9 seconds remaining to send the game to an extra period. The third-year guard finished with 32 points, topping the 30-point mark for the third consecutive game.
Doncic closes it out
In overtime, Doncic hit an 18-foot step-back fadeaway with 0.5 seconds on the clock, then blocked Tim Hardaway Jr.’s three-point attempt at the horn to end it. The 27-year-old star posted 30 points, 13 assists and 11 rebounds for his eighth triple-double of the season.
“Just a big-time shot by a generational player,” LeBron James said of Doncic’s winner.
LeBron’s hustle, Smart’s steals
James, who logged 17 points, six rebounds and five assists in 40 minutes, sparked the late rally by diving for a loose ball with 54.3 seconds left in regulation, forcing a jump ball that kept Los Angeles within one. Marcus Smart added 21 points and five steals, converting a strip into a layup with 46.8 seconds left in the fourth and drilling a go-ahead three with 30.7 seconds to play in overtime.
Ayton contains Jokic
Deandre Ayton recorded nine points and nine rebounds and blocked Nikola Jokic once in the extra period. Jokic answered with 24 points, 16 rebounds and 14 assists but went 1-for-4 from the field in OT.
Playoff implications
Head coach JJ Redick labeled the meeting a playoff rehearsal with the season-series tiebreaker against Denver at stake. The win lifted Los Angeles to 8-1 over its past nine games and into third place in the Western Conference, a half-game ahead of the Houston Rockets. The Lakers open a six-game road swing with back-to-back matchups in Houston on Monday and Wednesday.
Source: ESPN
