Lakers Rally Past Nets in Overtime
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EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – Lamar Odom had 16 points, matched a career-best with 19 rebounds, and set up a go-ahead 3-pointer by Caron Butler with 1:54 to go in overtime to lead the Los Angeles Lakers to a 104-103 victory over the Nets last night.
The Lakers rallied from a 10-point deficit with 4:44 to play in regulation and survived a late overtime shot by Vince Carter and Jason Kidd’s second straight triple-double. Los Angeles snapped a three-game losing streak and ended the Nets’ season-high five-game winning streak at home.
Jumaine Jones had 20 points, Butler 19, Luke Walton 17, and Chucky Atkins 14, including a long 3-pointer that tied the game at 92 with 12.1 seconds to play in regulation. The win was Los Angeles’s third in nine games.
The Lakers are 6-7 since Kobe Bryant went on the injured list with a severely sprained right ankle on January 15.
Carter, who had consecutive 40-point games, finished with 27 points on 9-for-23 shooting. Kidd had 28 points, 12 rebounds, and 12 assists. Ten-day contract wonder Billy Thomas had a career-high 14 points, while Jabari Smith and Jason Collins added 11 points apiece.
Down 90-82 after Carter hit a jumper, Odom and Walton each hit two free throws for the Lakers. After Carter made a jumper, Los Angeles scored the final six points.
Jones got Los Angeles within 92-89 with a 3-pointer with 36.3 seconds to play and Atkins got a chance to tie the game when Carter missed a shot in the lane.
Carter gave the Nets a 101-99 lead with 2:03 to play in overtime when he hit a jumper in the lane. Odom, who had four points in overtime, then drove past Kidd and found Butler deep in the left corner for his only 3-pointer of the game. After a couple of fruitless possessions, Atkins made a wild floater in the lane with 36.8 seconds to go to stretch the lead to 104-101.
Carter cut the margin to a point with two free throws four seconds later, and the Nets got a chance to win after Odom and Walton missed shots inside on the Lakers’ next possession.
The Nets called time out with 11.8 seconds to play and inbounded the ball to Carter. He worked a jump shot with about 3 seconds to go. The rebound went to the right of the basket and the Nets were annoyed that no foul was called when Atkins pushed Jacque Vaughn going after the loose ball.
