Gary Dineen/NBAE via Getty Images
The Los Angeles Lakers beat the Milwaukee Bucks 128-124 in double overtime on Tuesday night, and when you consider the full context of the victory—even outside of the inherent drama that comes with overtime—it may have been their best win of the season.
The Lakers were without LeBron James (ankle soreness). They were on the road against the dangerous Bucks. They came out ice cold, trailing by as many as 19 points in the first quarter. Every run they had across the first three quarters was answered by the Bucks, leading to a 19-point deficit with about eight minutes remaining.
But the Lakers kept fighting, rattling off a 27-9 run that shockingly forced overtime.
NBA @NBA
🚨 AUSTIN REAVES FROM DEEP… 2-POINT GAME 🚨
UNDER A MINUTE LEFT.. GET TO TNT NOW! pic.twitter.com/mjPjotZwtW
NBA on TNT @NBAonTNT
The @Lakers take their first lead of the game on back-to-back threes from AD and Dinwiddie! 🗣️ pic.twitter.com/5p6SovNxfo
And then the game went into a second overtime thanks to an epic block from Anthony Davis:
NBA @NBA
ANTHONY DAVIS DENIAL.
DOUBLE OVERTIME ON TNT. pic.twitter.com/MySxhU6vou
Dave McMenamin @mcten
AD with the monster block on Dame to send the game to a second OT.
This game has been ridiculous. pic.twitter.com/SCvQJ7bR7j
Finally, mercifully, the Lakers put the Bucks away in the second overtime, as both teams looked visibly gassed.
Bleacher Report @BleacherReport
REAVES CLUTCH 3 😱
LAKERS BEAT BUCKS IN 2OT 🔥 pic.twitter.com/tY6jbUiUfi
When the dust settled, the starting trio of Anthony Davis (34 points, 23 rebounds, four blocks in 52 minutes), D’Angelo Russell (29 points, 12 assists) and Austin Reaves (29 points, 14 rebounds, 10 assists) provided spectacular performances for Los Angeles.
And social media had nothing but love for them and for the Lakers in general following an incredible show of grit and resolve:
Jason McIntyre @jasonrmcintyre
Austin Reaves from deeeeeep
Also Anthony Davis probably won DPOY tonight. Sorry Wemby
This is a game of the year candidate
Daman Rangoola @damanr
Anthony Davis has been special all season carrying the Lakers defense, and has been special tonight on both ends
Nate Jones @JonesOnTheNBA
AD is playing his ass off
GoldenKnight @GoldenKnightGFX
Anthony Davis is him and we all need to apologize for tonight man lol
Colb @___Colb___
Austin Reaves and Anthony Davis we appreciate you.
It’s RBover @RyB_311
Ima be telling my kids I got to watch Anthony Davis play defense
Greg Beacham @gregbeacham
Absolute thievery by your Los Angeles Lakers. What a ballsy win, with or without LeBron.
Trailed by 19 points with 8 minutes left in regulation, then outscored Milwaukee 53-30 in the final 18 minutes.
Colin Cowherd @ColinCowherd
Feels like the biggest Lakers win of the season.
Kendrick Perkins @KendrickPerkins
Did not expect Austin Reaves to turn into Larry Bird tonight but here we are!!!
Daniel Starkand @DStarkand
Incredible win by the Lakers, showing a lot of heart without LeBron.
AD, DLo and Austin thoroughly outplayed Milwaukee’s big three down the stretch.
Giannis Antetokounmpo (29 points, 21 rebounds, 11 assists) paced the Bucks, while Damian Lillard scored 27 points and added eight dimes but shot just 9-of-29 from the field.
The Lakers (40-32) now have won four straight, tying a season-best winning streak. The Bucks (46-26) saw a two-game winning streak snapped.
It didn’t look good for the Lakers after a particularly ugly first half. They trailed by 16 points at the break and were just 1-of-13 from three in that time. It cannot be understated how poorly they started.
Dan Woike @DanWoikeSports
Lakers start a blazing 2-for-17 in Milwaukee.
Mike Trudell @LakersReporter
Poor clock management from the Lakers in the final minute helped the Bucks push their lead back to 16, after LAL had trimmed it to as few as 6 midway through the period.
LAL weren’t sharp, shooting only 33.3% in the half, with Russell/Reaves/Dinwiddie combining to go 3 for 16.
The Lakers were nearly done in by a poor shooting night (42-of-108 from the field, 38.9 percent) and issues with turnovers (17). They struggled to close quarters, getting close in the second and third before giving up big runs.
They countered with an excellent defensive performance, headlined by AD, and showed no quit despite a number of huge deficits.
Nobody would have blamed the Lakers for losing this game without LeBron, especially when they dug themselves a massive hole on the road against a title contender. But suddenly, a Lakers team that has struggled with consistency all season long is starting to look like a formidable opponent, especially if they continue to play with the same defensive intensity and heart shown on Tuesday.
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