PHOENIX — JJ Redick is a self-proclaimed “basketball nut.” So natural Lakers The coach found beauty in the chaos of his team, which led by 20 points in the fourth quarter, lost it in a maze of turnovers and misses, and then took the lead. victory with a score of 116-114 over the Phoenix Suns on Sunday thanks to LeBron James' free throws.
“This is going to sound disgusting: I love winning games like this,” Redick said with a slight smile. “… Winning ugly is actually a lot of fun because it means you got into the trenches and fought.”
“Ugly” is just one way to describe a victory that included five technicals, one ejection and a 20-point lead that turned into a one-point deficit with 12.2 seconds left when Dillon Brooks hit a 3-pointer over James.
Brooks, known as one of the NBA's biggest antagonists, then chest-bumped James, resulting in a technical foul. Brooks had been arguing with James since the first quarter and was ejected for a second technical. James, who also received a technical on Brooks in the third quarter, went to the line for the potential tying free throw.
He missed.
Redick said Luka Doncic, who finished with a team-high 29 points and made 13 of 14 free throws, should have made the free throw. James didn't hesitate.
“Why not?” said James, who scored 26 points. “I mean, I would have agreed if Luca had accepted it too. We were both in tense situations, but I just accepted it. I mean, unfortunately, I missed it, but I made up for it.”
James still made the game-tying free throws with 3.9 seconds left after fouling Devin Booker while attempting a three. James made two of three free throws and then blocked Grayson Allen's shot with 0.7 seconds left to seal the Lakers' ninth win of the season.
Despite playing without Austin Reaves, who missed the game with a calf strain, Lakers (18-7) remained undefeated in games by five points in the final five minutes, a perfect record unmatched by any other team.
“We stood together,” forward Jared Vanderbilt said. “…We didn't panic and that's why we're 9-0. [in clutch games]. We often work through late game situations in practice so we can see them. [and] executing in real time is simply a testament to the entire group’s accomplishments.”
In its first significant stretch of play in more than a month, Vanderbilt led a tenacious bench that, in James' words, “won us the game.” Vanderbilt, which has fallen out of the rotation since James returned to the lineup, had seven points, seven rebounds, two steals, a block and one big 3-pointer in the fourth quarter.
After losing to the San Antonio Spurs last week with just five points from a player not named Marcus Smart, the Lakers had a balanced 30 on Sunday, led by Jaxson Hayes' 12 points and nine rebounds. Jake LaRavia added six points, eight rebounds, two steals and one blocked shot.
Hustle plays from LaRavia and Hayes gave the Lakers a 15-0 run to end the third quarter, highlighted by Hayes' ferocious two-handed dunk. LaRavia intercepted Ryan Dunn's pass and started a fast break, stopping in the paint to pass to Hayes, who put the ball behind his head before hitting Oso Ighodaro with it and getting fouled, giving the Lakers an 80-77 lead with 2:24 remaining in the quarter.
LaRavia's dunk with 8:40 left in the fourth extended the lead to 20 points. The Lakers then released the ball too early when Smart turned the ball over with a careless back pass over his head. Instead of making what could have been an easy layup, Smart, who saw Vanderbilt trailing in the game and thought he wanted to reward the hard-working big man, blindly threw the ball straight to Allen. Brooks sparked a Suns comeback with a three on the next possession.
The crowd's roar increased as the Suns (14-12) took the lead. They cut that number to nine, the Lakers upped it to 14. The fans, dressed in Lakers colors, started talking and then sat down as the Suns gained momentum again. As James stood at the free throw line in the final seconds as the crowd reached its peak, center Deandre Ayton, who had 20 points and 13 rebounds, stopped to listen.
“Hearing the environment, hearing the oohs and aahs, the people knowing the outcome if you take those shots,” Ayton said, “yes, it was a movie again.”
The roar of the crowd continued even as James disappeared behind the tunnel curtain.
