Matt Ryan's Heroics Rescues Lakers Against Pelicans After Bungling 16-Point Lead

LeBron James finished with 20 points and 10 rebounds as the Lakers escaped the Pelicans to get their second win of the 2022-23 NBA season. Harry How/Getty Images

KEY POINTS

Matt Ryan helped the Lakers escape the gritty Pelicans in overtime
Lonnie Walker IV showed off his offensive talent in the hard-fought win
The Pelicans hailed the Lakers for pulling off a much-deserved victory

The Los Angeles Lakers registered their second win, something that was made possible through the heroics of former Boston Celtics power-forward Matt Ryan.

The 25-year-old player received a crosscourt pass on an inbound by Austin Reaves with 1.3 seconds left in regulation but managed to nail a three-pointer from the corner to knot the count at 111-all.

The Lakers led by as much as 16 points in the third quarter, the last of which was at the 11:07 mark courtesy of a LeBron James basket at 60-44.

However, Zion Williamson and Jose Alvarado led a charge, that allowed the Pelicans to trim down the deficit into a more manageable one.

"I'm thrilled for him," Lakers coach Darvin Ham said. "It worked. It was fabulously executed, and Matt had the courage to line it up and knock it down."

Ryan also shared his thoughts on the last play, pointing out how the pass was clean while also being given just enough time to put up a decent shot.

"The pass was clean, and the defense was just far enough away where I could get it off clean," Ryan stated. "As a shooter, once you can get your feet down and you see the rim clean enough, that made it a lot easier."

Come the extra period, the Lakers buckled down to work with Lonnie Walker IV kicking things off with a three-pointer.

Anthony Davis and James took over from there, allowing the squad to pick up only their second win in seven games.

CJ McCollum had a chance to send the game into a second overtime, but his shot attempt failed to find its mark, allowing the Lakers to escape with a 120-117 win.

Walker led the Lakers with a game-high 28 points to go with three rebounds and an assist.

Meanwhile, Davis and James chipped in 20 points each as well as 16 and 10 rebounds respectively.

Williamson finished the game with 27 points, while McCollum hauled 22 markers, nine rebounds, and eight assists.

The loss dropped the Pelicans to a 4-3 win-loss card.

"This is definitely a growth moment for some of our young guys. We didn't deserve to win that game, so credit to the Lakers. We can't wait until the second half to decide we want to play, and that's what we did," Pelicans head coach Willie Green mentioned.