Last night, the Lakers went to win in Detroit against the Pistons. A victory that feels good after a complicated series, and a good way to conclude a long and trying road trip. A victory on the wire especially, snatched thanks to a huge dagger from Austin Reaves on a splendid pass from LeBron James.
2:15 a.m. French time in the Little Caesars Arena, the Lakers had to have won the game. lined up behind a huge duo LeBron James – Anthony Davis, who combined for 69 points and 20 rebounds, the Angelinos had just dominated the first half before letting the Pistons come back into the game in the third quarter. However, LA regains an advantage in QT4 and seems safe with an 8-point lead and the ball in hand just 1 minute and 45 seconds from time. A loss of ball and two misses later, a possession separates the Purple & Gold from the young people of Michigan.
LeBron finds Austin Reaves for the dagger ☔️ pic.twitter.com/DsqfTT0pri
— NBA TV (@NBATV) December 12, 2022
Timeout exit, 28 seconds on the clock. LeBron ball in hand, decides to driver in the racket, defended by Jalen Duren, Bojan Bogdanovic AND Jaden Ivey. Just that. The King still manages to find a no-look kickout for Austin Reaves who stands up. BANG! +5 Lakers, 12 seconds and 4 tenths on the clock, in other words game over (yes, even for the Lakers, I see you coming). An action to which the young Austin Reaves returned in an interview after the match:
Air conditioning by Austin Reaves.pic.twitter.com/F4oO1OtuAe
— TrashTalk (@TrashTalk_fr) December 12, 2022
“LeBron has been criticized throughout his career for making the right moves instead of forcing a shot. When you play with him, you know he’s going to make the right decision and do the right thing.”
A statement that could therefore be translated as “don’t touch my BronBron”. And we understand Austin Reaves. It’s relatively convenient to be able to take this kind of shot without having to take responsibility for it in the event of failure. More seriously, this victory will necessarily do good to Bronny and his friends, who avoid ending their road trip with four consecutive defeats. With this success, their 11th in 26 games, the Lakers moved up… to 12th place in the west, tied with the Thunder.
Narrow victories against the team with the worst record in the League is (already) good, but these Lakers will really have to confirm to start catching up. For that no choice, you have to win tomorrow night… against the Celtics. Good luck.