TITLE: Smart’s late inbound blunder nearly sinks Lakers, but L.A. slips past Spurs 118-116
SLUG: smart-turnover-lakers-edge-spurs
CONTENT:
LOS ANGELES — The Los Angeles Lakers survived a frantic final 1.2 seconds Wednesday night, holding off the San Antonio Spurs 118-116 after guard Marcus Smart stepped on the end line while inbounding the ball, gifting San Antonio one last chance to steal the game.
With the Lakers up two and possession deep in their own end, Smart tried to hit Rui Hachimura but was ruled out of bounds. The turnover set up a sideline play that ended with Julian Champagnie drawing a foul from Lakers forward Jake LaRavia with 0.2 seconds remaining.
Champagnie missed the first free throw and intentionally clanked the second, hoping for a tip-in, but Los Angeles controlled the rebound to secure its fifth straight victory.
“I take full ownership of it,” Smart said afterward. “As a 12-year vet, I can’t make that mistake. It will never happen again.” Smart finished with 17 points, five rebounds and five assists, hitting all 10 of his free throws.
Luka Dončić powered the Lakers with 35 points, 13 assists, nine rebounds and five steals while Austin Reaves (sore right groin) and LeBron James (right sciatica) sat out. Dončić quickly absolved Smart’s error. “The energy he brings on defense is unbelievable,” the star guard said. “His leadership has been everything for us.”
The win lifted Los Angeles to 7-2, good for second place in the Western Conference. The Spurs fell to 3-6.
Source: ESPN
