Lakers survive in overtime to beat Jazz.
UTAH — The Lakers survived the Utah Jazz in overtime, 135–132, behind LeBron James’ 37-point performance to improve their record to 41–38.
After blowing a 10-point lead with two minutes to go in the fourth quarter and capping it off with a bank pull-up three from Utah’s Kelly Olynyk, everything seemed to point toward a Lakers meltdown loss. With the game tied at 124 with 11.4 seconds to go, LeBron had a chance to win it in regulation, just missing on a left-handed layup attempt.
LeBron had another opportunity to redeem himself deep in overtime, spinning for a layup with 27.1 seconds left before getting a stop on the final possession to win.
“It’s all about chemistry. The more minutes we get on the floor with one another, the better we’ll be,” said LeBron.
LeBron finished with a game-high 37 points on 14-for-27 shooting from the floor, adding five rebounds, six assists, one steal, and one block in 38 minutes played.
Anthony Davis’ rim-protecting ability to disrupt nearly every shot in the paint during the fourth quarter is a valuable asset every team gameplans around, showcasing the value it will bring for the Lakers in the playoffs.
In 42 minutes, Davis finished with 21 points, 14 rebounds, six assists, two blocks, and two steals with a 44% shooting outing on 7-for-14 overall.
Austin Reaves' big moment came after a three from Olynyk gave the Jazz a three-point lead, with Reaves hitting a midrange bucket from the free-throw line to get the Lakers within one and keep their momentum afloat in overtime.
Reaves finished second on the team with 28 points on 8-for-13 (61%) shooting, notching three rebounds, six assists, and a perfect 8-for-8 from the free throw line in 41 minutes.
“It was a dog fight from the get-go,” said Reaves. “You wanna win every game by 30, but it’s not gonna work like that.”
The Lakers are set to face their hometown rival Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday night on the back end of a back-to-back. Both teams are currently tied with a 41–38 record, making that matchup a must-see, and both teams are in a must-win situation to get the leg up on each other and get closer to avoiding the play-in.
Davis has not played back-to-back for most of the season, making Wednesday’s matchup a question mark for his availability.
“We’ll all get on a phone call or something tomorrow and go from there,” said Davis.
Wednesday’s matchup against the Clippers is at 7:00 p.m. on Spectrum SportsNet and ESPN.
