The Lakers were catapulted to their second consecutive win by an unlikely source Wednesday night at Staples Center.
Los Angeles was in danger of blowing a 16-point, second-half lead in a losing effort when it trailed the New Orleans Pelicans by three points with 1.3 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter. In need of a game-tying 3-pointer, the Lakers didn’t draw up a play for all-world superstar LeBron James. Instead, Austin Reaves dished out a cross-court inbound pass to Matt Ryan, who set his feet and converted from beyond the arc to send the game into overtime.
The Purple and Gold rode the momentum from there, securing a 120-117 win to improve to 2-5 on the young season.
You might be asking: Who is Matt Ryan? Undrafted in 2020, Ryan played the bulk of the 2021-22 season for the Grand Rapids Gold of the NBA G League before signing a two-way contract with the Celtics in late February. The 6-foot-6 forward played in 14 games with the Maine Red Claws and saw the court for one game with Boston in April. Ryan was on the bench but did not suit up for the Celtics throughout their run to the 2022 NBA Finals.
The 25-year-old, who worked for DoorDash and UberEats when his NBA career was in jeopardy, started the new league year playing with the Celtics in the NBA Summer League before signing with the Lakers in late September. Initially a training camp invitee, Ryan ultimately earned a partially guaranteed contract from LA.
It remains to be seen if Ryan will be a roster maintay for the Lakers. If he is, he’ll square off with his old team Dec. 13 when the Celtics visit Los Angeles.
