The Crypto.com Arena witnessed a thriller on Saturday night as the Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Denver Nuggets. A dramatic finish to regulation saw Austin Reaves hit a clutch shot to force overtime, setting the stage for the Lakers to seal the win. Shaquille O’Neal, however, wasn’t a fan of what happened.
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Lakers were down by two points, and there was just under two seconds left. Reaves had one free throw remaining, and instead of burying it and planning what to do next, he intentionally missed it, grabbed the rebound himself, and scored two to tie the game and go to OT.
austin reaves forces overtime; nuggets vs lakers pic.twitter.com/DNRb8cYm02
— ◇ (@F0RGIAT0) March 15, 2026
As far as O’Neal was concerned, however, that ending to regulation and the Lakers ultimately winning by only two points, proved that they just weren’t good enough to be labeled contenders.
“If you have to rely on that you’re not going to win and not being a contender,” the Lakers legend said on ESPN, post-game. “I’m used to playing for coaches who wouldn’t be happy with that game.”
O’Neal also argued that the Lakers should have won by 15 while playing at home. In an ideal world, that is exactly what every purple and gold supporter would hope for. But is that realistic every single night?
Shaq on the Lakers needing Austin Reaves to intentionally miss FTs to force the game into overtime:
“If you have to rely on that you’re not going to win and not being a contender. I’m used to playing for coaches who wouldn’t be happy with that game… You up 15 at home you have… pic.twitter.com/XGGzxHJbbO
— NBA Courtside (@NBA__Courtside) March 15, 2026
The NBA is a grueling league. One game can produce a dominant victory, only for the next to turn into a scrappy, hard fought battle. Against the Nuggets, the Lakers experienced the latter. And considering the quality of their opponents, grinding out a win was still a strong result. Had this happened against the Wizards, Nets, Kings, or any other side had given up and were focusing on taking, O’Neal’s point may have been valid.
Reaves and the rest of the Lakers won’t care too much about how they win as long as they do win. When the time comes in the playoffs, if Reaves pulls something off like this, he’d be celebrated as a hero. Maybe O’Neal will give the man his flowers then.
