The Los Angeles Lakers are riding high following an inspired victory they snatched from the jaws of defeat, a . The Lakers led by as many as 16 early in the third quarter after they went on a 16-0 run that stretched from the second quarter into the second half. Russell Westbrook was a catalyst in building that lead, as he finished with 13 points, seven boards, and nine dimes in 25 minutes off the bench.

However, Darvin Ham ended up substituting the former MVP out for Patrick Beverley with 3:15 to go in the payoff period as the Lakers tried their best to claim their second win of the season. The Lakers opted to flank LeBron James and Anthony Davis with Beverley, Lonnie Walker IV (who finished with 28 points), and Austin Reaves during crunch time, only to get saved by Matt Ryan in the dying embers of the game.

At the end of the day, Ham's gambit to sit Russell Westbrook out during winning time worked, and Beverley did well in lobbying for the first-time head coach to put him back late in the tight contest.

“I put Pat Bev in — as he ran by me a couple of times he reminded me of his resume. I made the switch to put him on CJ [McCollum]. And he did a hell of a job for us,” Ham said after the game, per Michael Corvo.

CJ McCollum, who ended up with 22 points on the night, went 2-6 from the field and turned the ball over once in the final 3:15 of regulation and overtime, including a missed three-point attempt in the final seconds of the extra period that would have knotted the game at 120. Beverley's defensive impact won't be too apparent at first glance, but it's clear all of his teams feed off the energy he exerts in each passing second he spends on the hardwood.

The Lakers' shooting ineptitude to begin the year will take attention away from the fact that they boast the league's third-best defensive efficiency, allowing only 104.3 points per 100 possessions, and Patrick Beverley has been a huge part of that impressive effort.

At the end of the day, Lakers fans will be thrilled to see coach Darvin Ham value what the team needs in crunch time rather than rely on big names such as Russell Westbrook. With the all-time triple doubles leader ready to sacrifice for the Lakers' greater good, perhaps Beverley and Reaves end up being crunch time fixtures for a team with playoff hopes.