On Tuesday night, the Los Angeles Lakers pulled off one of the most surprising comebacks in the NBA this season. Down 19 in the fourth quarter to the Milwaukee Bucks without LeBron James in the lineup, it looked like the Lakers were cruising to a loss. But, they got hot and started putting pressure on Milwaukee.
The result was a magnificent one for Los Angeles, who came away with an improbable 128-124 double-overtime victory. Milwaukee’s chances of winning were as high as 99.8 percent, making this one of the most shocking losses of the season.
The performances of three players stood out for Los Angeles; Anthony Davis, Austin Reaves and D’Angelo Russell. They put the team on their back and carried the Lakers to a much-needed win, moving them close to the Phoenix Suns for the No. 8 spot in the Western Conference.
Davis scored 32 points with 23 rebounds, two assists, two steals and four blocks. Reaves recorded a huge triple-double, scoring 29 points with 14 rebounds and 10 assists. Russell nearly triple-doubled himself, pouring in 29 points to go along with 12 assists and seven rebounds.
In the process, those three made some impressive NBA history. According to OptaSTATS on X, they are the first trio to score 90+ points with 40+ rebounds and 20+ assists since Wilt Chamberlain, Happy Hairston and Jerry West did it on January 24th, 1971.
In their game, Chamberlain, Hairston and West combined for 95 points, 43 rebounds and 22 assists in a 142-131 win over the Cincinnati Royals. While that happened to be a Lakers trio as well, Davis, Reaves and Russell are the first trio of any NBA team to reach those numbers in a single game.
It could not have come at a better time for Los Angeles, who is scratching and clawing to move up in the Western Conference standings. Getting out of the NBA Play-In Tournament would be ideal, but at the very least, the Lakers want to be in the top eight.
That will ensure they get at least two chances to make the playoff field should they lose the first play-in game. Also, having a shot to earn the No. 7 seed could result in avoiding the Denver Nuggets until at least the Western Conference Finals.
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