SAN FRANCISCO — With NBA trade season in full swing, it’s only natural to occasionally get caught up in rumors, smokescreens and fake deals being bandied about social media. But Saturday’s epic, double-overtime 145-144 Los Angeles Lakers win over the Golden State Warriors quickly snaps us back to reality, and forces us to remember the whole point of all these transactions that we love so much — to see the greatest basketball players in the world playing at the highest level.
Saturday night’s game wasn’t just about LeBron James vs. Stephen Curry for the umpteenth time. It wasn’t about Anthony Davis looking seriously hurt, then pulling a Willis Reed by returning to the court to help get his team to overtime. It wasn’t even about the 43-to-16 disparity in free throw attempts, in the Lakers’ favor, which was an unsurprising talking point for Warriors coach Steve Kerr afterward.
No, this game was about the fans. It’s why they shell out gobs of money for tickets to see their favorite players and teams. It’s why they buy jerseys and trading cards. It’s why kids hang desperately over the railing as a player walks by, hoping to get a used shoe, an autograph … even a fleeting glance.
Here are 10 clutch, pivotal plays that helped produce one of the greatest games of the 2023-24 NBA season.
1:43 4th quarter – DLo for 3
The Lakers, who trailed by nine points with just under four minutes remaining, took their first lead since early in the third quarter on a D’Angelo Russell 3-pointer from the right wing with 1:43 left in the fourth. Russell didn’t need much space, as Curry was just a hair late on the closeout, and Russell made him and the Warriors pay by hitting nothing but net.
1:27 4th quarter – Wiggins misses both
The Warriors didn’t get to the line much on Saturday night, but they also failed to capitalize for the most part, going 11 for 16 on free throws. The two most costly misses came from Andrew Wiggins, who went to the line after being fouled by Davis with the chance to put the Warriors up by a point with less than 90 seconds left…
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