LeBron’s game-saving steal helps Lakers survive third straight OT game

LeBron James made the biggest play for the Lakers as they took their third straight overtime game, but this time it was a breathtaking defensive effort.

Slice the season into any chunks you want, and the Lakers have been rolling. They’ve won six in a row, nine of their last 11 and 14 of their last 17. But the last stretch has been particularly tough. They extended their win streak last night but it was the third win in a row that required overtime.

But they made the plays they needed to make, thanks in large part to LeBron James. He scored 10 points in the fourth quarter, including the game-tying 3-pointer to force overtime. He was held scoreless in overtime but came up with a game-saving steal to help the Lakers ice the game.

Obviously, his turnover on the attempted save gave the Thunder a chance for a game-winning shot but he delayed things long enough that the attempt was a desperation heave instead of an open shot.

Why have the Lakers been forced into so many close games lately?

These three overtime games have the appearance of a random mid-season blip. The Lakers defense has been largely as effective as their season-long numbers and their offense has only slightly fallen off. But as you would expect for any LeBron-led team, they have been superb in big moments.

The Lakers are 11-3 so far this season in games in which the margin was five points or less at any point within the final five minutes. And they’ve outscored opponents by an average of 23.4 points per 100 possessions in the clutch, the third-best mark in the league. The question is how much they need to be pressing in these games. LeBron is the key to everything but he’s been over 40 minutes now in three consecutive games, after crossing that threshold only twice in 67 games last season. LeBron has found some interesting ways to slow down and rest while he’s on the court but it would certainly help if the Lakers could start winning games in the third and fourth quarter.