The Lakers needed an overtime to defeat the Jazz (135-133) to finish the road trip 4-0. This win kept Los Angeles in the race for a direct playoff spot.
With 1:43 minutes left to play in the 4th quarter, the Lakers held a 10-point lead but allowed their opponents to come back and for the overtime.
According to Lakers head coach Darvin Ham, that was due to his team being tired after a long and difficult road trip.
“I thought we kind of walked the ball up the floor,” Ham said about his team wasting a 10-point lead in the 4th quarter. “They were charging, obviously, making the run. And we got the ball and we’re kind of walking. It’s the end of a long road trip. Guys on the floor played a ton of minutes. So, circumstances were definitely at play. But we found the way.
“When you’re in that type of position, when you’re not playing with any pace for credible reasons, the balls tends to not make it to the paint and couple of those shots in those possessions offensively we didn’t penetrate the paint and when we did get one, AD missed a shot he makes 99 out of a 100 in his sleep. That one time it rimmed out.
“But my hat’s off to our guys, the way they competed on this trip. It was not an easy trip by any stretch of imagination. And to finish it against a team like this. They were down a few key players, but Will [Hardy] and his staff they’ve done a great job. And again, this is a prideful group and they came to play tonight.
“We talked about Talen [Horton-Tucker] before the game and he was on full display. Colin [Sexton]. Even Damion [Jones] knocking down threes. And KO [Kyle Olynyk] is always tough. They have a really good thing going here and what they’re trying to build. We’re very fortunate to get this W.”
The Lakers will face the Clippers tonight. If the Purple and Gold get the win, they will overtake their city rivals for the sixth place in the West.
