With four games left in the regular season, the Los Angeles Lakers had finally managed to get into the top eight in the Western Conference. But their hold over a high play-in tournament spot was tenuous, and they wanted to finish sixth and bypass the play-in tournament altogether.
On April 4, they faced the Utah Jazz, a squad desperately trying to get into the play-in tournament themselves.
The Lakers took a 68-57 halftime lead, but Utah kept threatening throughout the second half. Austin Reaves helped keep L.A. ahead with 17 second-half points, and with 1:43 left in the fourth quarter, his 3-pointer put his team up by 10.
A turnover from LeBron James and missed shots from Anthony Davis allowed the Jazz to force overtime, where they took a 132-129 lead with 1:39 remaining on a trey from Kelly Olynyk. But Reaves hit a jumper just seconds later, and that would be it for Utah, who lost to the Lakers 135-133.
It was a draining, hard-fought victory for the Purple and Gold, especially for James, who played 38 draining minutes. But by finishing second on the team with 28 points and adding six assists, Reaves provided the support that was sorely needed at this critical juncture of the schedule.
This game also helped establish the fact that Reaves has the chutzpah to step up and hit big baskets and make big plays with an important game on the line.
