Thanks to Dennis Schröder, the Los Angeles Lakers still won a play-in duel with the Minnesota Timberwolves that they thought was almost lost and are in the NBA playoffs.
After being 15 points behind in the second half, the record champions with the German national basketball team captain and superstar LeBron James still won 108:102 after extra time.
With the win, the Lakers will now face the Memphis Grizzlies in the first round of the playoffs starting Sunday (local time). The Timberwolves have another chance at a playoff ticket on Saturday night. Opponents are then either the New Orleans Pelicans or the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Schroeder with important points
The Lakers already looked like the winner after Schroeder hit a three-point shot to make it 98-95 with 1.4 seconds left in regulation time. But 0.1 seconds before the final siren, Mike Conley converted three free throws for extra time. Previously, the guests had remained six minutes without a basket.
In the extra season, the Lakers also prevailed thanks to four more points from Schröder, who ended up with 21 points. Best pitcher for Los Angeles was James with 30 points, Anthony Davis scored 24 points.
Lakers coach Darvin Ham then praised Schröder for his strong performance in the highest tones. “His attitude, his confidence: that’s incredible, extraordinary,” Ham said.