JJ Redick Reveals Truth Behind Austin Reaves’ Game-Saving Free Throw for Lakers

The Los Angeles Lakers delivered one of their most dramatic wins of the season on Saturday night, outlasting the Denver Nuggets in an overtime thriller defined by hustle, execution and a perfectly imperfect play from Austin Reaves.

In a game that head coach JJ Redick described as feeling like a playoff contest, the Lakers leaned on timely plays from their stars and a remarkable sequence late in regulation to secure a critical victory in the Western Conference race.

With the Lakers trailing in the closing seconds, Reaves intentionally missed a free throw, tracked down the rebound and converted a difficult floater to force overtime, a sequence that stunned the Nuggets and electrified the crowd at Crypto.com Arena.

JJ Redick Reveals What Really Happened on Austin Reaves’ Stunning Miss

Redick later joked that the play didn’t unfold exactly as planned, but it ultimately worked to perfection.

“I mean, these guys are going to give me a lot of crap,” Redick said with a laugh. “We set it up for him to miss. When I had kind of relayed instructions, it was to miss it to the right side because that was the single side at the time. It ended up being the left side was the single side, so they all gave me crap in the locker room, but AR made the right play. He missed it on the single side. It’s a hell of a basketball play.”

Even Nuggeets coach David Adelman acknowledged the rarity of the sequence.

“That’s one in a hundred in the NBA and it happened,” Adelman said. “You give them credit. Reaves’ execution quickly became the defining moment of regulation, but it was far from the only winning play the Lakers produced on a night that required resilience.”

Superstar forward LeBron James provided one of the most memorable hustle moments of the game with a full-extension dive for a loose ball in the fourth quarter, a play that Redick said he had never seen from the future Hall of Famer despite watching him for decades.

“After the game, I said, ‘In 23 years of watching you play in the NBA and the three years I watched him play in high school, I never saw him make a full-out extension dive like that,’” Redick said of James. “That’s a winning play.”

LeBron James: ‘Every Possession Matters’

James said the moment came from understanding the magnitude of the matchup and the stakes involved.

“Just living in the moment,” James said. “Understand the impact of the game, implications of the game and our opponent and what we’re trying to build. Every possession matters.”

The Lakers treated the contest with postseason urgency, knowing that a victory over the defending champions could have meaningful implications in the standings. Redick told his team beforehand to approach the matchup as if it were a playoff game, particularly with the potential to secure a key tiebreaker against Denver.

Luka Doncic Praises Lakers’ Collective Effort

Los Angeles Lakers Luka Doncic Austin Reaves — Mar 14, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic (77) reacts with guard Austin Reaves (15) after scoring a game-winning shot during overtime against the Denver Nuggets at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: William Liang-Imagn Images | William Liang-Imagn Images

“It felt like actually every guy that was on the floor did something to get us that win,” said Luka Doncic. “Those wins, when you get down, it’s easy to relax a little bit, but we just came back. The crowd helped us a lot.”

Doncic also praised Reaves’ clutch execution on the free-throw miss that changed the trajectory of the game.

“That execution was perfection,” Doncic said. “It’s very hard to do.”

The Lakers’ success in overtime also hinged on key lineup decisions. Redick opted to reinsert center Deandre Ayton, trusting him to defend three-time MVP Nikola Jokic while also providing a presence on the offensive glass.

The move paid off.

Ayton held his own defensively against Jokic and contributed offensively, helping stabilize the Lakers during the extra period before Doncic delivered the decisive bucket.

In the end, the game encapsulated the Lakers’ evolving identity this season: star power, late-game execution and a growing willingness to make gritty winning plays.

That identity could prove critical as the regular season winds down.

The Western Conference standings remain tightly packed, and matchups like this, particularly against championship-caliber opponents, offer a glimpse of how the Lakers might fare when the pressure intensifies.

James emphasized that beating a team with Denver’s pedigree carries significance beyond a single night.

“Denver’s a championship ball club,” James said. “That core won a championship. They have that championship DNA. That’s what we’re striving for.”

For the Lakers, Saturday’s comeback victory represented more than a highlight-filled finish. It was a statement about their resilience, and a reminder that in games with playoff intensity, sometimes the smallest details, like a perfectly missed free throw, can change everything.

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