Deandre Ayton
Getty
Deandre Ayton of the Los Angeles Lakers.
After the Los Angeles Lakers‘ overtime win over the Denver Nuggets on Saturday, coach JJ Redick praised big man Deandre Ayton.
Speaking to reporters after the game, Redick was asked about Ayton’s performance in the Lakers’ 127-125 win against the Nuggets. He finished with nine points and nine rebounds in 27 minutes. He also did a good job on Nikola Jokic in overtime despite another triple-double from the three-time MVP.
“It felt like DA could guard Jokic,” Redick said. “He did a nice job there in overtime. It felt like he could get on the offensive glass, which he did. And then he also made the little touch shot off the pass (from LeBron James). He was great in overtime.”
Ayton scored a clutch basket in overtime to give the Lakers a two-point lead. He also blocked Jokic’s shot to prevent the Nuggets from tying the game with less than 30 seconds remaining in overtime. The Joker eventually scored on Ayton, who still made it tough on defense, to tie the game at 125.
Luka Doncic ended up scoring the game-winning fadeaway jumper with 0.5 seconds left to lift the Lakers to their fifth consecutive victory. They also earned the tiebreaker over the Nuggets just in case they finish the regular season with the same record, as reported by CBS Sports.
Doncic on Chemistry with Ayton
Deandre Ayton
GettyDeandre Ayton is in his first season with the Los Angeles Lakers.
Before Saturday’s game against the Nuggets, Luka Doncic also had some good words about Ayton’s performances over the past two games. Doncic liked that they still have chemistry in the pick-and-roll, especially in the second half of games.
“Very good,” Doncic said about their chemistry, via Lakers Nation. “In that third and fourth quarter, they wanted to blitz a little bit, so he saw the small guy and he was just playing bully ball down there. And then they went switch a couple times. So I think he’s been doing an amazing job.”
Ayton was coming off back-to-back brilliant games in wins over the Minnesota Timberwolves and Chicago Bulls. It seemed like he was back on track after his remarks about his role with the Lakers threw off his game over the past two weeks.
Ayton Reveals Reason for His Recent Resurgence
After dropping 23 points and 10 rebounds against the Bulls, Ayton thought that he had finally found his focus to help the Lakers. He told reporters what Lakers fans have been wanting from him all season long.
“Felt like I picked up my energy and my focus,” Ayton said, via Spectrum SportsNet. I finally caught up with the team. We’re playing really hard. We’re playing with a sense of urgency. We’re playing together. I think we’re emphasizing competitiveness.”
He added: “We’re competing in every aspect – effort, 50-50 chances. Just really attacking the ball on both ends and closing out these possessions. It’s been pretty scrappy.”
Spectrum SportsNet
Ayton: “We’re emphasizing competitiveness. We’re competing in every aspect.”
The Lakers will need Ayton to remain focused for the rest of the regular season. They have a rough six-game road trip that starts on Monday night. They have a shot at finishing in the top four of the West standings if they finish the final month of the campaign strongly.