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Philippines, 27 Jan 2026 |
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OMG, MATT RYAN! Lakers tie and later TKO’s Pelicans in OT, 120-117 By Emmanuel Rivera, RRT PhilBoxing.com Fri, 04 Nov 2022  (San Leandro, California) Heroes- the sporting variety included- often find themselves in the most awkward positions amidst adversity yet expected to do improbable deeds; you know…hero stuff. The Los Angeles Lakers found themselves in a similar spot, behind 108-111 and on the verge of another loss. With 1.3 seconds left on the clock, the Lakers team looked to their coach for a miracle play. They needed a 3-point heave to tie and prolong the game against the New Orleans Pelicans and their healthy hero (slash) leader Zion Williamson. LA head coach Darvin Ham responded and called on a relative unknown to save Los Angeles (no pun intended). It was a simple play---get the ball to anyone open for the trey. From the deep right corner came the arcing shot, reminiscent of a ‘Hail Mary’ in American football. Halfway to the basket with 0.6 frozen on my screenshot, the SoCal crowd held their collective breath. All eyes were simultaneously on the ball, shooter, defender, and the basket. The trey sank as the buzzer went off to end regulation. The crowd, as many reporters have said once too often, goes wild. And along comes the hero of the night. Matt Ryan announced himself to the basketball world with aplomb and composure. We will hear his name more often, hopefully more in key plays and ‘Hail Mary’ scenarios, as the Los Angeles Lakers seek traction early in the NBA season. Our fellow fans and readers on the very site you are on, i.e., #1 boxing website called PhilBoxing.com, will agree that last night’s result at the Crypto.com Arena is akin to the Lakers winning by a thrilling technical knockout---a TKO. Could this be the shot that turns LA’s season around? It sure looked like it as the resurging Lakers proceeded to finish the ‘Pels’ in overtime. One can tell from the expression on the face of Zion Williams of the NOLA Pelicans that the LA Lakers are still a formidable team. Despite Los Angeles controlling both boards, outrebounding the Pelicans 56-51 all night, the Pelicans managed to erase a 16-point deficit in the third quarter. In the fourth quarter, Coach Ham fielded Austin Reaves, LeBron James, Lonnie Walker IV, Wenyen Gabriel, and Matt Ryan---holding on to Russell Westbrook and Anthony Davis until the 6 ½ minute mark. With the game up for grabs late in overtime, the Lakers started with a trey from Walker followed by an emphatic dunk from Anthony Davis and a deuce from James to end the contest, 120-117. Stats:  Los Angeles shot 45.9% FG, 27.8% 3-PT, and 56 Rebounds NOLA Pelicans shot 46.1% FG, 32% 3-PT, and 51 Rebounds  Scores: LA Lakers (2-5): LeBron, Matt Ryan and company hope to make it three in a row as they host the red-hot UTAH Jazz (6-3) and Jordan Clarkson on Friday night, November 4, 2022, at the Crypto.com Arena NOLA Pelicans (4-3): Zion Williamson and company hosts the current NBA champions Golden State Warriors (3-5) on Friday, November 4, 2022, at the Smoothie King Centre With Appreciation: The photos, stats and video in this article are through the courtesy of the NBA and brought to you by PhilBoxing.com and our editor-in-chief Mr. Dong Secuya. Click here to view a list of other articles written by Emmanuel Rivera, RRT.  |
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