The Los Angeles Lakers hold discovering new methods to lose. On Wednesday, it was a 41-point shellacking in Miami, the place the Lakers did not even look mildly all in favour of competing. On Friday they introduced somewhat extra juice in Atlanta, however they completely fell aside down the stretch, fumbling a number of alternatives to doubtless ice the sport earlier than in the end getting iced themselves by a Trae Younger game-winner in time beyond regulation.

Hawks 134, Lakers 132. Sport over.

So Younger, who completed with one other monster line of 31 factors and 20 assists, winds up the hero, however how did it get to that time for the Lakers? 

With a one-point lead and possession with 30 seconds to play in time beyond regulation, L.A. had an opportunity to all however seal the sport with a bucket — they might have been capable of play the foul recreation from there with a three-point lead. As an alternative, Anthony Davis tossed the laziest go doable, and LeBron James did not do him any favors by shifting away from the ball reasonably than sealing his defender off and shifting towards the go, and Dyson Daniels — the Nice Barrier Thief himself who leads the NBA in steals by a laughable margin — stepped in for what regarded like a pick-six the opposite manner. 

Nevertheless, the Lakers bought away with this primary botch job as a result of not solely did LeBron chase down Daniels and block his shot from behind, however upon assessment it was additionally decided that the ball had final touched Daniels’ fingertip on its manner out of bounds, giving possession proper again to the Lakers. 

So now the Lakers have one other shot to wrap up the sport with the ball at half court docket, nonetheless a one-point lead, and now underneath 24 seconds to play. The Hawks are going to be pressured to foul so long as the Lakers get it inbounded cleanly and keep away from a tie-up … which they do not, as Davis is straight away triple-teamed as a result of not a single different Laker makes himself accessible for a go and Atlanta steals itself a soar ball. 

Nonetheless, the Lakers ought to be OK, proper? It is the 6-10 Davis vs. Daniels, who’s simply 6-foot-7, on the soar. Absolutely the Lakers ought to have the ability to come away with possession of the tip and, lastly, get themselves to the free throw line to ice the sport. 

Unsuitable once more.

Davis ideas the ball into an open space of court docket and three Lakers have a shot to trace it down. D’Angelo Russell, who continues to show himself to be a dropping participant, does not even strive for it. Gabe Vincent will get blown off the beginning block by De’Andre Hunter, who’s now in a footrace with LeBron, who winds up knocking the ball out of bounds. Hawks possession.

And but, the Lakers nonetheless had an opportunity to shut this win out on the defensive finish, the place their execution was equally problematic. Check out the Younger game-winner once more, and you may see that Vincent has no motive to depart Younger to run again to Hunter, who’s already coated by Davis. 

It was a chaotic state of affairs by which a split-second determination might show catastrophic, and that, sarcastically, is what Vincent was so anxious about. He was so paranoid about Hunter being left open for a 3-pointer that he wound up abandoning his personal man, Younger, who was probably the most harmful shooter on the court docket in that state of affairs even when Hunter’s numbers are significantly better from 3 this season.