Reaves, Luka deliver late-game magic in OT thriller

What’s Happening

Alright so Austin Reaves executed a immaculate missed free throw before sinking the game-tying bucket to force overtime, and Luka Doncic drained the winning jumper in the extra frame to lift the Lakers past the Nuggets on Saturday night.

Lakers’ Reaves, Doncic deliver late-game magic in OT thriller play Luka Magic! Doncic hits winning bucket with 0. (yes, really)

5 left in OT (0:57) Luka Doncic knocks down a winning jumper from the baseline with 0.

The Details

5 left in overtime for the Lakers. (0:57) Dave McMenamin Mar 15, 2026, 02:16 AM ET Close Lakers and NBA reporter for ESPN.

Covered the Lakers and NBA for ESPNLosAngeles. Com from 2009-14, the Cavaliers from 2014-18 for ESPN.

Why This Matters

Follow on X Multiple Authors Email Print Open Extended Reactions LOS ANGELES — On a night where seemingly every player on the Lakers made a big play to lift them to a 127-125 overtime win over the Denver Nuggets on Saturday, perhaps none was bigger than a missed shot by Austin Reaves . In this case, it was an intentionally missed shot from the throw line 5. 2 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter.

This is the kind of move that can define a season.

Key Takeaways

• Reaves flung the ball off the left side of the front of the rim, chased down the offensive rebound and tossed in a 9-foot floater with 1.
• 9 seconds left to tie the score at 118 and force overtime.
• “I mean, I knew I was going to miss,” dropped Reaves, who led L.
• With 32 points, topping 30 for the third straight game.

The Bottom Line

“It was hard to do, and just for him to tie the game, that gave us the win, basically,” Luka Doncic dropped. “That execution was perfection.

What do you think about all this?