Dennis Schroder made one of the biggest shots of the Los Angeles Lakers' season Tuesday night in their play-in tournament win over the Minnesota Timberwolves. Schroder buried a corner three in the final seconds of regulation to give the Lakers a three-point lead.
Though his potential game-winner was snubbed by a trio of clutch free throws by Mike Conley, the Lakers were still able to come away with an overtime victory to secure the seven-seed in the Western Conference.
Lakers coach Darvin Ham praised Schroder's performance.
“He lives for those type of moments,” Ham said. “It's Dennis. It's classic Dennis. We're fortunate that he's on our team.”
Schroder came off the bench to score 21 points in the win. He knocked down three shots from beyond the arc and made all eight free throws he attempted. While not the most prolific of players, Schroder has had some big-time performances in the postseason throughout his career.
In 52 career postseason games, Schroder has scored 20 or more points in 13 of those games. Though play-in tournament stats don't count toward playoff statistics, the postseason implications that come with it can lead to clutch moments for non-star players.
Schroder averaged 12.6 points per game this season for the Lakers, adding 4.5 assists per game while shooting a tick under 33 percent from deep.
With the win, the Lakers will face the Memphis Grizzlies in the first round of the NBA playoffs. It should make for a great opening-round matchup and has plenty of potential for more clutch moments from Dennis Schroder and company.
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