NBA | Ryan forces OT, LA Lakers rally for 120-117 win over Pelicans
The Hindu
The Los Angeles Lakers beat the New Orleans Pelicans 120-117 for their second straight victory after an 0-5 start to the season
Matt Ryan hit a tying 3-pointer at the regulation buzzer, Lonnie Walker made a key 3-pointer in overtime while scoring 28 points, and the Los Angeles Lakers beat the New Orleans Pelicans 120-117 Wednesday night for their second straight victory after an 0-5 start to the season.
Anthony Davis had 20 points and 16 rebounds for the Lakers, who blew a 16-point lead and appeared to be finished before Dyson Daniels' two missed free throws with 1.4 seconds left in regulation allowed the Lakers to run one last play.
Austin Reaves made a slick crosscourt pass to Ryan, and the newcomer who surprisingly made the Lakers' roster last month drilled a fallaway 3 in front of their bench to force OT.
“I'm thrilled for him,” Lakers coach Darvin Ham said. “It worked. It was fabulously executed, and Matt had the courage to line it up and knock it down.”
Ryan attended three universities, went undrafted and worked as a DoorDash delivery driver before he made his NBA debut with one game for Boston last season. He is playing rotation minutes for the Lakers because of his outside shooting stroke, but he missed six of his first seven 3-point attempts against New Orleans before he delivered their biggest shot of the year.
“The pass was clean, and the defense was just far enough away where I could get it off clean,” Ryan said. “As a shooter, once you can get your feet down and you see the rim clean enough, that made it a lot easier.”
Walker’s early 3-pointer put the Lakers ahead for good in overtime. C.J. McCollum’s jumper trimmed the Lakers’ lead to three in the final minute, but McCollum missed a potential tying 3-pointer with 6.7 seconds remaining, and the Pelicans couldn’t foul before the buzzer.