Despite nearly blowing a late double-digit lead, the Los Angeles Lakers managed to survive with a win on Tuesday thanks to the heroics of LeBron James, who scored 37 points that included the game-winning layup in the final seconds of overtime against the Utah Jazz.
It was a truly incredible shot from James that gave the Lakers a much-needed win. According to LeBron, though, it was a fitting redemption arc for blowing his chance to win at the end of regulation.
“I had to redeem myself at the end of regulation,” said James. “I smoked a layup.”
LeBron on his game-winner in OT: "I had to redeem myself at the end of regulation. I smoked a layup."
— Lakers Daily (@LakersDailyCom) April 5, 2023
LeBron had a chance to WIN the game for the Lakers (-380 ML) with this layup… but he couldn't get it to fall 😳
The Jazz have somehow stormed back from 10 points down to force OT in Utah 🤯pic.twitter.com/ZSLrXEfGkv
— Ballislife Bets (@BallislifeBets) April 5, 2023
LEBRON WITH THE CLUTCH BUCKET.
LAKERS WIN 🔥 https://t.co/6haTQgEzWt
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) April 5, 2023
Needless to say, LeBron made amends for his miss in the best way possible — securing a victory for a Lakers team that desperately needed one. And while there are doubts about how far this team can go, Lakers fans have to be feeling good about their position heading into the playoffs.
Lakers Are In A Good Position To Shock The World
The standings are still in a state of flux as the regular season winds down, but the Lakers are pretty much a lock for the play-in, at the very least. And if this Lakers team can stay healthy, they might have enough to make a deep run.
“We just want to put ourselves in a position to be able to compete for a championship,” LeBron said. “It’s a journey and obviously, we don’t have as much chemistry as a lot of other teams that are trying to compete for a championship or have aspirations to win a championship, but I like what we’ve been building over the last month or so.”
Even if the Lakers do secure a top-6 seed and avoid the play-in, they are facing an uphill climb to the title. To get out of the West, they’d likely have to beat the Suns, Nuggets, and Grizzlies in the first three rounds.
So, even if everything goes right for the Lakeshow, they will have to get through a brutal playoff bracket just for the chance to face off against whoever comes out of the East.
For now, though, Lakers Nation will celebrate their victory and likely a playoff position after such a terrible start to the season. It has been quite an impressive turnaround, to say the least.
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