
The Los Angeles Lakers won an overtime thriller against the Denver Nuggets, and it all started with what Austin Reaves was able to do at the end of regulation. Down two points, Reeves missed his free-throw to the left, and he was able to recover the ball. He ran down the baseline and hit a floater to tie the game and send the game into overtime.
Before going into overtime, Reeves was seen holding a basketball and saying, "I love you."
"I love you."
This clip of Austin Reeves after game-saving play shows why we're basketball fans 👏pic.twitter.com/27makmBSZi
- ClutchPoints (@clutchpoints) 15 March 2026
The Lakers won the game when Luka Doncic used his clutch gene to sink a shot that gave them two points with .5 seconds remaining. The Nuggets didn't have enough time to get a clean shot, and the rest was history.
After the game, Reeves was asked about talking the basketball at the end of regulation.
"I don't really say much about the ball. It's usually bad words. It's usually when it's not doing the right thing," Reeves said, via ESPN's Dave McMenamin.
Austin Reeves on viral clip of saying "I love you" to the basketball at the end of the game: "I don't really say that to the ball a lot. It's usually bad words. It's usually when it's not doing the right thing." pic.twitter.com/yQrDsdvanu
-Dave McMenamin (@mcten) 15 March 2026
It was the perfect scenario for Reeves, and it was almost as if he knew the ball was going to fall straight into his hands.
With the win, the Lakers now have the tiebreaker over the Nuggets, and that's important as the Western Conference becomes competitive once again. The Lakers are still in the No. 3 seed in the West, and they may not have a chance to go much further than that, as they are seven games behind the San Antonio Spurs.
The Lakers are clicking at the right time, and they have two games coming up against the Houston Rockets that are important for standings purposes. If the big three of Reeves, Doncic and LeBron James can continue to play during the season, they should be able to keep their hands on the No. 3 seed.

