Lakers win overtime thriller in Game 4; take 3-1 series lead

This game was a back-and-forth battle, but the Lakers came out with the overtime to win 117-111 and take a 3-1 series lead.

LA was led by LeBron James, who finished the game with 22 points and a playoff career-high 20 rebounds. Austin Reaves led the Lakers in scoring with 23 points.

D’Angelo Russell struggled in the 1st half, but in the 4th quarter, he made some huge shots and finished with 17 points. The entire Lakers starting lineup ended the game with double digits. 

LeBron James played a ridiculous 45 minutes for the game and showed no signs of slowing down.

The Lakers were down 2 with 6.7 seconds left, and he went downhill and scored the game-tying layup to send the game to overtime. In overtime, with the Lakers leading 111-108, LeBron drove to the rim and scored the layup, which was the dagger for the win.

Dennis Schroder made some huge contributions off the bench as he finished with 12 points and finished with the highest +/- on the team with a +24.

Rui Hachimura did not have his best game, but he still had seven points and six rebounds and made some great defensive plays that do not show up on the stat sheet. 

Arguably the unsung hero of tonight’s game could go to two players: Austin Reaves and Jarred Vanderbilt. Although Vanderbilt only played 20 minutes, he scored 15 points and had three steals. His biggest contribution to the team has been his defensive presence, so if the Lakers can get double-digit scoring from him, that’s a huge bonus.

Austin Reaves is growing right in front of our eyes. His confidence, scoring ability, decision-making, passing, and hustle have made a big impact on the team, especially since he’s been inserted into the starting lineup

The Lakers have been a whole different team since the trade deadline. They have the chemistry and depth this team was missing earlier in the season. The vibes with this team have been great. D’Angelo Russell on Twitter posted a picture with the caption “no words.” The picture speaks for itself.

The Grizzlies put up a hell of a fight, though, as they were led by Desmond Bane, who finished the game with 36 points and carried the team’s offense.

Ja Morant still finished with an efficient 19 points. Ja Morant and Dillon Brooks decided to skip their postgame media session and left the arena. 

The Lakers are now one win away from moving to the second round of the NBA playoffs and will look to close the series on Wednesday in Memphis for Game 5.

Leave a comment