On the night when Sweet 16 captured basketball universe, the Los Angeles Lakers and Chicago Bulls may even outperform the wildest March Madness finish you can imagine. The Bulls won 119-117, but it is impossible to guess how they got there.
At least four shots appeared to be the winners of the game, but only appeared in the next hero. It’s worth breaking down the final 30 seconds of the game. This is definitely weird.
0:27 -Austin Reaves becomes clutch
Start with 27 seconds left. The Lakers should go up 1 point, 111-110. The Austin Raves find themselves isolated at Nikola Vsevic (the Lakers familiar target throughout the game), and he drives, stops at the dime and hits a tough blowjobway floater to raise the Lakers three points.
After Josh Giddy airballed the floater on his subsequent possession, Reeves was fouled and made both free throws, creating a seemingly insurmountable five-point lead (115-110) in 13 seconds.
But the Bulls didn’t have it.
0:10-The Bulls hit two threes in 6 seconds
Chicago coach Billy Donovan drew a lovely inbound play where he got caught up with Vicevic throwing a quick pass to Patrick Williams, who knocked down corner three with the remaining 10 seconds. That’s when all hell is loose.
On subsequent inbound passes, LeBron James attempted to play the ball, but was intercepted by Giddy. He threw a quick dime at Coby White. Coby White splashed a wing three-pointer to give the Bulls a mysterious two-point lead with six seconds left.
The game is over, right? It’s not even nearby.
0:06 – Reeves’ layup was ruined by Giddy’s victory bomb
The Raves attacked again with the Lakers’ next possession, making a driving layup to give them 30 points, appearing to be the winner of the game in 3.1 seconds.
Instead, Giddey quickly inbounded to Williams. He took one dribble into the half court and, of course, unleashed the bump that passed through the hoop.
The Bulls win, 119-117. You can see a million basketball games in your life and never see another ending like this.
Bulls are quietly rising in Eastern Conference rankings
It was the Bulls’ fourth consecutive win. The Bulls are firmly in the mix of the 7th seed in the East. Currently 33-40, Chicago is behind the No. 7 seed Orlando Magic (35-39) and the 1.5-game two games behind the No. 7 seed Atlanta Hawks (35-38).
Giddie was clearly a hero in the game, but it wasn’t just his final shot. He could have moped and hung his head after placing the airball near the basket, but he bouncing off, picking up the clutch steel and helping him turn the game towards his head.
For the Lakers, who led up to 18 points in fourth place, attempting to navigate the logjam in the middle of the Western Conference was another costly loss. The loss dropped the Lakers 44-29, tied them in 1.5 games behind the Memphis Grizzlies and the Denver Nuggets.
Reaves ’30 points led the team, with Luka Dončić adding 25 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists. James finished with 17 points and 12 assists in a 20-20 shooting.
“Devastation,” Lakers manager JJ Redick said when asked for an immediate response after the wild finish. “It’s hell of how to lose a basketball game.”
