Green returned to the Warriors’ starting lineup for the first time since his…..

NBA highlights on January 27: Lakers defeat Warriors at the free throw line in second overtime

The Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Golden State Warriors 145-144 in double overtimes (OTs) on Saturday at the Chase Center in San Francisco, California, for their second consecutive victory.

The purple and gold trailed by one point (144-1

43) with 4.7 seconds remaining in the second overtime. The team needed two timeouts to send the throw-in to LeBron James, who faced Brandin Podziemski at the top of the key. The 39-year-old veteran quickly began, leaving no room for the Warriors to double-team him. He got by Podziemski and Jonathan Kuminga and drove all the way to the hoop before Draymond Green fouled him.

James, who averaged 4.1 free throws per game at 74.2 percent this season, was 4-for-4 until the last shot. He made both jumpers, restoring the Lakers’ one-point advantage and giving the opponents only 1.2 seconds for their last attempt without a timeout. Curry missed the desperation 3-pointer before time ran out.

Despite his age, James played over 48 minutes in Saturday’s game, the second-longest among the Lakers. He recorded a triple-double with 36 points, 20 rebounds, and 12 assists. Twelve of his points were scored over the two overtime periods. Anthony Davis had a double-double with 29 points, 13 rebounds, and four blocks. After a tough first half, D’Angelo Russell recovered to score 24 of his 28 points in the second half and two overtimes

Jarred Vanderbilt had the Lakers’ top plus-minus (30) on Saturday night, despite coming off the bench and playing 41 minutes. He recorded 14 points, nine rebounds, five assists, and four steals. His height, speed, and all-or-nothing commitment to defense posed a lot of problems for the Warriors.

Stephen Curry hit 17 of 35 field goals (FGs) in Saturday’s game, giving him a season-high 46 points. In the Warriors’ penultimate play of the fourth quarter, he remained calm and composed, first avoiding Vanderbilt via Green’s screen, then dribbling to pull Davis out of the lane before rushing the hoop with a rapid speed change for a game-tying layup.

Curry scored 10 of the Warriors’ 14 points in the second overtime period, including his ninth 3-pointer, which gave his team a 144-143 lead before James’ game-winning free-throw shooting effort.

On Saturday night, four Warriors players scored more than 20 points each. Klay Thompson, Kuminga, and Andrew Wiggins combined to make 11 triples. Thompson hit a huge 3-pointer with 5.9 seconds remaining in the first overtime to send the game to the second. Like Russell, he overcame a bad first half in which he missed seven of his eight field goal tries to score 22 points in the second half, including two overtimes.

Green returned to the Warriors’ starting lineup for the first time since his suspension expired. He finished with eight points, fourteen rebounds, eleven assists, three steals, and two blocks, as well as the team’s greatest plus-minus of 31. When Curry was on the floor, he could concentrate on scoring rather than making plays. In Green, the squad possessed a reliable defender who could switch and aid.

The Knicks extended their winning streak to six games after defeating the Heat at Madison Square Garden in New York City, propelling them to the top four in the Eastern Conference. However, they were met with the unfortunate news of Julius Randle’s shoulder dislocation. He tumbled hard in the fourth quarter and stayed down for a time before being helped up by his teammates using his left arm.

Randle underwent X-rays, which showed no damage. A magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is scheduled for later this Saturday. Tom Thibodeau, the Knicks’ head coach, said he is “very” concerned about Randle’s injury.

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The Clippers won their 30th game of the season by defeating the NBA leaders, the Celtics, at TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts, on Saturday. They lead 91-60 at the end of the third quarter. Despite a dismal shooting performance of 46.7 percent in the first three quarters, they held their opponents to 29.3 percent in field goals over the same time span.

In less than 30 minutes, Kawhi Leonard hit 10 of 15 shots and scored 26 points for the Clippers. By comparison, the Celtics’ top pair of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown combined to shoot 11-for-31 from the field. The game entered into garbage time after the Clippers went on a 21-0 run in the third term.