Lakers end disappointing season on high note with OT win over Nuggets.
The Lakers' roller-coaster 2021–22 season has come to an end, finishing the season on a promising high note with a collective win in overtime against the Nuggets, dropping Denver 146–141 to cement their season record to 33–49.
Austin Reaves helped the Lakers climb back from a 9-point deficit with 1 minute left in the game, stealing the ball on the final possession from the Nuggets and taking it coast-to-coast to tie the game and send it to overtime to win it.
During the 4th quarter of tonight's game, ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski tweeted that Frank Vogel had coached his final game for the Lakers.
"I haven't been told shit. I'm going to enjoy tonight's game," Vogel said, "We'll deal with tomorrow tomorrow."
The whole situation screamed a lack of empathy by Woj and ESPN, with Vogel relishing a Lakers victory and dealing with questions of his firing after the game.
Austin Reaves and Malik Monk were tonight's top performers for the Lakers, combining for 72 points to help the Lakers push past Denver in overtime.
Austin Reaves became the first undrafted rookie in NBA history to drop a 30-point triple-double, finishing tonight's overtime win with 30 points on 41% shooting (7-for-17), with 16 rebounds and 10 assists in 41 minutes played.
"Even though this game really didn't mean anything," Reaves said, "It's another opportunity to go out and show what you can bring to the table."
On one of the biggest bargains of the NBA offseason, Malik Monk gave the Lakers underpaid production all season long on an NBA minimum, ending his Lakers campaign with a career-high 41 points on 56% (14-for-25) shooting from the floor, knocking down 7-for-14 (50%) shots from three in just 35 minutes of action in possibly his final game for the Lakers.
Look for Malik Monk to get a hefty contract from a suitable team this off-season, as Monk showed he could be a dangerous asset to any organization that needs a shooting guard that can score consistently.
The Lakers exit interviews are set to start tomorrow morning, with LeBron James starting it off at 9am.
9:00am - LeBron James
1:30pm - Russell Westbrook
1:45pm - Malik Monk
2:00pm - Talen Horton-Tucker
2:15pm - Avery Bradley
2:30pm - Dwight Howard
3:00pm - Stanley Johnson
3:15pm - Wayne Ellington
3:30pm - Kent Bazemore
3:45pm - Kendrick Nunn
4:00pm- Austin Reaves
4:30pm - Wenyen Gabriel
5:00pm - Mason Jones
5:15pm - D.J. Augustin
(Times are subject to change)
Thank you to those that tuned in at any point this season on my column. I highly appreciate you all and give my utmost thanks to my audience, knowing there are passionate fans that look at these posts as ways to be updated on Laker news. I can't wait for the off-season and the 2022–23 Lakers campaign. THANK YOU! -Carlos