It was a major concern for the Los Angeles Lakers that they would be entering their Friday night contest against the Milwaukee Bucks without LeBron James, as the 39-year old star is dealing with an ankle injury. However, D'Angelo Russell held the fort, nailing nine threes and finishing with 44 points, putting them in position to win after nailing a floater to give the Lakers a 123-122 lead over the Bucks with five seconds left in the contest.

This could have been scary for the Lakers; after all, the Bucks have one of the best crunch time killers in the NBA in Damian Lillard. The raucous Crypto.Com Arena could have gone home heartbroken, as Dame Time was dawning upon them. But Spencer Dinwiddie made sure that nothing of the sort would happen under his watch.

The Lakers trusted Dinwiddie to take on the Lillard matchup; the Bucks then ran a simple isolation for Lillard, but Dinwiddie matched him stride for stride before blocking a stepback jumper from the Bucks star with his outstretched arms, sealing a 123-122 win for LA.

Lakers fans were hoping that Spencer Dinwiddie would turn things around after signing with the team from the buyout market, but Dinwiddie hasn't been as impactful as expected. Many have grown disappointed over his lack of impact, but as of late, Dinwiddie has begun to endear himself to head coach Darvin Ham as a viable defensive option at the point of attack.

This masterful rejection of Damian Lillard's potential game-winner for the Bucks further justifies the increased defensive trust the Lakers have towards Dinwiddie. In fact, it has come to the point where Dinwiddie has sparked a few apologies from Lakers fans who feel as though they have been too harsh towards the 30-year old point guard in his brief stint thus far with the Purple and Gold.

“lakers nation. spencer dinwiddie deserves an apology.” – @meowapy

“We owe Spencer Dinwiddie an apology. He can defend.” – @Jayhooptalk

“SPENCER DINWIDDIE IM SORRY FOR EVERYTHING I SAID I LOVE YOU.” – @_LakersForever

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