As the Los Angeles Lakers looked to make one final late-season push toward a possible playoff spot, they faced a difficult contest on April 4 at the Utah Jazz.
Playing in Salt Lake City is always strenuous because of the altitude, but this contest was even more so because the Jazz were still fighting to snag a play-in tournament spot.
Buy Lakers TicketsLeBron James scored 16 first-half points as the Lakers took a 68-57 lead at intermission. But Utah made it a tight game by the end of the third quarter, and a turnover and missed layup from him near the end of the fourth period led to the two teams needing overtime.
To his credit, James, as tired as he must’ve been, didn’t give up. He scored his team’s first five points and its last four points of the extra session, allowing it to squeak by with a 135-133 win.
With 37 points, six assists and five rebounds, James had put forth a monstrous performance to put Los Angeles one step closer to a return to the playoffs after a one-year absence.
