The Los Angeles Lakers came into Dallas as pretty strong favorites against a Mavs team still playing without an injured Luka Doncic, but after a Jalen Brunson takeover and some ugly shooting from both teams down the stretch, the two found themselves in a dogfight that required overtime to settle.
It was the sixth overtime game for the Lakers, who can’t help but make games close, for better or worse, but the good news is they are very good once they get to an extra frame, improving to 5-1 in overtimes this season with a 107-104 win over the Mavs. After Jalen Brunson and Kristaps Porzingis picked apart the Lakers defense to push Dallas ahead by seven in the fourth quarter, L.A.’s defense tightened and the Lakers slowly clawed their way back in.
Still, they needed a minor miracle as they shot some dreadful threes down the stretch, as on their final possession of regulation LeBron James missed a three that Maxi Kleber and Porzingis fought over, with the ball ultimately squirting out to the corner to a waiting Wayne Ellington who hit the game-tying three with two seconds to play.
Wayne Ellington FOR THE TIE!!@Lakers 93@dallasmavs 93
2.0 to play on ESPN pic.twitter.com/e86UDYpzNs
— NBA (@NBA) December 16, 2021
A Trey Burke deep three went begging on Dallas’ final play, and off to overtime the two teams went. In overtime, both teams had “found money” moments late, as Russell Westbrook hit an out-of-rhythm corner three, which the Mavs answered with a Kleber banked in three from the wing to tie the game at 104-104.
On the Lakers final possession, the Mavs did a great job forcing the ball to Westbrook again in the corner, who didn’t take the bait and drove, collapsing the Mavs defense just enough to spring Austin Reaves open on the right wing, who knocked down his fifth three of the ball game with 0.9 seconds to play to give the Lakers the win.
https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1471319984186040327
Reaves finished with 15 points, all from the three-point line, and got mobbed by his teammates after hitting the clutch three (which also could’ve been ruled a foul with the contact that came after the shot). Dallas, out of timeouts, couldn’t even get a heave off in time and for the fifth time this season, the Lakers escaped overtime with a win.
