The Los Angeles Lakers‘ dramatic 127-125 overtime victory over the Denver Nuggets, which Luka Dončić ended with a game-winning step-back jumper in the final second of the extra frame, was one of the best games of the season. It may also end up being one of the most important.
After jumping out to an early double-digit lead, the Lakers pushed their advantage to 17 in the second quarter and were cruising until the Nuggets embarked on a big comeback late in the third. Eventually, the Nuggets took the lead, which grew to eight late in the fourth. All of a sudden, it was the Lakers who needed a comeback. They completed one in miraculous fashion.
To force overtime, Austin Reaves pulled off one of the best intentional missed free-throw routines you’re ever going to see. The Nuggets, up by three, fouled Reaves with 5.2 seconds to play. Reaves made the first free throw, then threw the second one off the front of the rim. The ball ricocheted out to him on the right wing, and he put in a floater to send things to overtime.
“JJ told me to tell AR to miss right. So he missed left,” Dončić joked. “So it was a good play. That’s very hard to do.”
There was sloppy play and several missed shots early in overtime, which ensured neither team could pull away. And after Nikola Jokić tied things up with 15 seconds to play, the Lakers had the ball with a chance to win.
Dončić obliged with one of his patented step-back jumpers. The Nuggets tried to double him, but they didn’t get their angles right, which gave Dončić the space to drive left toward the baseline. Spencer Jones recovered and made a spirited contest, but it was in vain. Dončić caught nothing but net for arguably his signature moment with the Lakers thus far.
“A lot of legends played here. They leave a lot behind with the Lakers,” Dončić said. “So obviously I did [envision this when I was traded here], obviously we’re still in the regular season, but that was a little bit of that feeling today for sure.”
Dončić finished with 30 points, 11 rebounds and 13 assists for his eighth triple-double of the season, helping the Lakers extend their winning streak to five games. They’ve won eight of their last nine games and climbed into third place in the Western Conference.
Lakers gain critical tiebreaker over Nuggets
Numerous Western Conference seeding battles appear likely to come down to the final days of the season. Entering Saturday, Nos. 2-6 seeds all had 41 wins and were separated by half a game.
Here’s a look at the standings before the Lakers-Nuggets matchup:
And here’s a look at the standings after the Lakers’ win.
|
3 |
Lakers |
42 |
25 |
10 |
|
4 |
Rockets |
41 |
25 |
10.5 |
|
5 |
Timberwolves |
41 |
26 |
11 |
|
6 |
Nuggets |
41 |
27 |
11.5 |
The Lakers went from fourth to third and the Nuggets went from fifth to sixth, which shows how important each game is at this point in the crowded West. More importantly, though, the Lakers’ win gave them the season tiebreaker over the Nuggets (2-1, with no matchups between the teams remaining).
If the Lakers and Nuggets end up with identical records at the end of the season — a very real possibility — the Lakers would get the higher seed. That could be the difference between earning the No. 3 seed and staying out of the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder‘s side of the bracket. It could also be the difference between earning the No. 4 seed and earning homecourt advantage in the first round.
Dončić’s shot is one of the highlights of the season, and it may prove to be far more important than just that.
