Lakers Suddenly Riding High After Matt Ryan Miracle Shot

A remarkable heave from little-known guard/forward Matt Ryan has the Lakers feeling good about their season again.

Or actually, Ryan will tell you it was a real shot. And truly, for a shooter like Ryan, it likely was.

It came in the corner at the final buzzer of regulation, while Ryan was falling out of bounds, tying the game against the Pelicans and sending the game into overtime. The Lakers eventually won.

Not to be understated was the cross-court inbounds pass from Austin Reaves, who somehow spotted Ryan in the corner and served up a pinpoint delivery. Ryan, who seemed to struggle bringing in the pass, somehow managed to get off a shot.

Unreal. pic.twitter.com/2EMoHaDOfS

— Sam Amico (@AmicoHoops) November 3, 2022

As an aside, the miracle play came after Pelicans rookie Dyson Daniels missed two foul shots with about 2 seconds left. The Pelicans were up by three points, so one Daniels made free throw would have sealed the deal for New Orleans.

“I don’t want to sound cocky at all, but like I was able to get my feet down and get a shot off,” Ryan said, via Kyle Goon of the Orange County Register. “So, for any shooter, that’s all you can ask for.”

The win was the second straight for the Lakers, after five straight losses to open the season. In both games, Russell Westbrook has come off the bench, a role with which he has said he is comfortable.

And this one came on a night that LeBron James and Anthony Davis were not at their absolute best. But new coach Darvin Ham is seemingly making adjustments to help the Lakers overcome those games.

“I told the team afterward I think each and every one of them, in the lineup, limited minutes, no minutes … the way we stood together and the way we supported one another, it showed a lot of grit, a lot of toughness, a lot of character for us not to fold at that moment,” Ham said, via Goon.

James admitted that he and Davis weren’t completely healthy. But with the Lakers’ trying to get — and stay — on track, they both wanted to gut it out.

“I knew I wasn’t gonna have everything: all my juice, all my bounce, all my spring,” James said, via Goon. “But if I’m in the lineup, I’m gonna try to make plays. And was I great tonight? Absolutely not. I was horrible in a lot of things, missed a lot of shots around the rim, missed a lot of miscues on defense, but just tried to get my guys as much energy (as possible) and A.D.’s doing the exact same.”