Not many players on this earth can miss a shot like Austin Reaves can.
The Los Angeles Lakers guard was intentionally fouled as his team trailed 118-115 to the Denver Nuggets with 5.2 seconds remaining inside Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, Calif. The Nuggets sent Reaves to the free throw line to try to prevent the Lakers from getting a chance to take a game-tying three-pointer.
Reaves showed Denver there were other ways to tie the game up. The Oklahoma alum made the first free throw, then threw up a perfect line drive on his second attempt that ricocheted off the rim. Reaves calmly secured the offensive rebound and sank a baseline floater to send the game to overtime.
Austin Reaves forces to OT with the intentional missed free throw 👀🔥 pic.twitter.com/LFMBhRinH4
— Swish Cultures (@swishcultures_) March 15, 2026
So many things had to go right for the Lakers to have a chance. Reaves had to make the first attempt, then intentionally miss the second in such a way that would give Los Angeles a good shot at grabbing the rebound.
Reaves was also patient enough to avoid a lane violation, which is a common occurrence for players eager to chase down the offensive board. The last part was actually scoring the game-tying basket under duress.
“That execution was perfection,” Luka Doncic said of Reaves’ intentionally missed free throw.
Doncic put the finishing touches on the game in overtime. The Slovenian superstar hit a stepback jumper to win the game, not far from where Reaves scored his crunch-time floater. The Lakers won 127-125.
LUKA. BALLGAME.
— ESPN (@espn) March 15, 2026
LUKA DONCIC WINS IT IN THE CLUTCH FOR THE LAKERS 🔥 pic.twitter.com/yIXlJGvbnN
Doncic and Reaves both scored their baskets over Nuggets role player Spencer Jones. It’s becoming a recurring theme for Jones at this point, as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander also shot a game-winning triple in his face earlier in the week.
