The Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Toronto Raptors on Thursday, December 4 with a wild finish, 123-120.
For the Lakers, the stakes were high without stars Luka Doncic and Marcus Smart both out for back reasons. They needed to show they can play on the road.
The Lakers came into the game at 15-5, while Raptors stood 15-7.
Early on, Toronto looked to use its home court comfort to seize momentum.
“Toronto hoped to capitalize on the Lakers missing big players, while the Lakers aimed to prove their depth.”Said Espn reporters.”
In a back and forth game, both teams traded leads throughout, but as the fourth quarter wound down, the tension rose.
As the clock wound down, it became clear this game would be decided in the final seconds.
When asked about the final play, Lebron James, who ended the night with only 8 points ending his historic double digit scoring streak, said the only thing that mattered was the win. “We Won,” he said simply.
With the game tied 120-120 and just seconds remaining Lebron passed the ball out to Rui Hachimura who was wide open in the corner. Hachimura buried the three as the time expired, winning 123-120.
The moment stunned the arena and underscored a bigger storyline.
“Hitting that shot under pressure that’s what wins games,”said Hachimura after the game.
The win snapped a brief skid for the Lakers, boosted their road record, and demonstrated that even without their top stars, they can close out close games. On the Raptors’ side, despite a strong effort and near triple-double from Scottie Barnes, 23 pts, 11 rebounds, and 9 assists, they came up short.
