“Devastation” is how coach J.J. Redick described the feeling after the Lakers let a lead slip away on Thursday and lost at Chicago on **Josh Giddey**‘s half-court shot at the buzzer (Twitter video link), writes Dave McMenamin of ESPN. L.A. led by 18 points in the fourth quarter and was up by five with 12.6 seconds left, but couldn’t close out the game.
Patrick Williams hit a corner three-pointer for the Bulls with 9.8 seconds remaining, then Giddey stole a LeBron James inbounds pass that James called a “horrible turnover.” Coby White nailed a three to put Chicago in front, but Austin Reaves responded with a layup with 3.3 seconds left, setting the stage for Giddey’s heroics.
“It sucks,” Reaves said. “We probably had a high-percentage chance of winning after my layup went in. There’s not many half-court buzzer-beaters to lose a game. And it’s just, it’s frustrating.”
It’s a loss that could have huge playoff implications for the Lakers as the season winds down. L.A. dropped into a tie with the Grizzlies for fourth place at 44-29 ahead of a trip to Memphis on Saturday. Both teams are two losses ahead of the Clippers and Warriors and three losses ahead of the Timberwolves as the race for the six automatic playoff spots in the West becomes tighter.
“There’s another game in two days, less than two days, that’s how you do it,” James said. “That’s the NBA. You can’t go into a game on Saturday thinking about what happened on Thursday.”
There’s more on the Lakers:
Jordan Goodwin had eight points, a steal and two blocks in his first game since being promoted to the 15-man roster. Speaking to reporters before Thursday’s contest, Redick cited “competitive spirit” and “toughness” as the main things Goodwin brings to the team, per Khobi Price of The Orange County Register (Twitter link). “I joked with him this morning, he can’t get soft on us now,” Redick said. “He’s been a banshee for us since he’s been with us on the two-way and has provided not just the attitude, the toughness on the court, but he’s played some really good basketball for us. We’re very confident in him.”
Two-way players Christian Koloko and Trey Jemison could be battling for another promotion before the season ends, Jovan Buha of The Athletic states in his latest podcast (hat tip to BasketNews). Buha notes that Koloko is more of a rim protector, while Jemison contributes on both ends of the court. He expects both players to be given minutes over the final nine games to help the coaching staff determine who would be more valuable in a playoff series.
Bronny James turned in his best G League performance this week with a 39-point outing for the South Bay Lakers, per Chuck Schilken of The Los Angeles Times. James admits being motivated by those who doubt that he can succeed at the highest level. “Just that I belong out there,” he said. “That’s all I’m trying to prove. A lot of people say I don’t, but I just come out, work every day, try to get better every day and prove myself every day. … All the criticism that’s thrown my way, it’s just amazing to shut all that down and keep going.”