Lakers News: "Most Exciting Game Of The Season" Ends In Disappointing OT
By the end of Friday's game against the Philadelphia 76ers, the Eastern Conference's No. 6 seed, Los Angeles Lakers fans endured a thriller and heartbreaker all in one.
Though a Lakers victory seemed very much out of reach going into the fourth quarter, the team resurged in big part due to the Sixers committing turnovers as well as splitting a pair of free throws.
Philadelphia's mistakes allowed their opponents to get back into the game, as Austin Reaves sparked the Purple and Gold with a three-pointer to pull within reach 120-117 with 10.5 seconds to go.
Just like that, the Lakers appeared to have a shot at winning, but missed free-throws in clutch time ultimately lead them to their loss.
After Reaves was fouled by Matisse Thybulle, the Lakers guard made his first two free throws, but missed the third as a chance to tie the game.
In the following possession, Tobias Harris fouled Anthony Davis as he went up for a bucket with 3.7 seconds on the clock.
With a chance to put the Lakers up one Davis missed his second free throw at the line and the team headed into overtime. Following the regulation and their newfound hope, the Lakers couldn't seem to continue any offensive spark.
Following the tough loss, Spectrum SportsNet's Chris McGee recapped the game with retired Lakers champs Meta World Peace and James Worthy:
“That final minute in the fourth quarter was one of the craziest in a long time. The Lakers were down 10 with a minute 50 left, they came back and actually had a chance to win that game. Used all their energy up because you get to OT, big game, and they get outscored 13-2 and kind of took the wind out of our sails and the Lakers as well.”
Though Anthony Davis ended the night with another 30+ point, 10+ rebound game, he was caught in early foul trouble. This hurt the team as he sat on the bench much of the first half and was not able to provide the authority his team often relies on.
James Worthy touched upon the impact of such absence early in the game:
“To me the game started when AD got in foul trouble. That was very, very difficult to overcome when he went down. Really quick touchy fouls, and they weren’t equal on both sides.”
Though it was a hard-fought game with multiple Lakers players involved fighting to come back, their efforts seemed to wither as the players hit the floor again following regulation.
“The inability to score was tough. The execution wasn't as good as it was in the third, fourth, or the rest of the game, so it kind of cost them in the overtime.”
With a career game from guard De’Anthony Melton and a dominant 38-point game from Joel Embiid, the Lakers had no answer when it came to overtime.
