"Great Game!! Mr. October with a big time shot to end it" - LeBron James salutes Clippers' Reggie Jackson for game-winner against LA Lakers
The injured LeBron James was following all the action between the LA Lakers and the Los Angeles Clippers as it unfolded on Thursday night.
Anthony Davis gave the Lakers a one-point lead (110-109) off an alley-oop play with 12.5 seconds left in the game. Reggie Jackson then pulled off a dramatic game-winner for the Clippers on the very next possession.
With no timeouts left, Jackson brought the ball up the floor for the home team. He dribbled his way to the left side and then spun his way to the basket, beating Russell Westbrook and Austin Reaves in the process.
Jackson then used the backboard to get a layup over the outstretched hands of Malik Monk. With Davis missing a floater at the buzzer for the Lakers, Jackson's bucket gave the Clippers a one-point (110-111) victory at Crypto.com Arena.
CLIPPERS WIN IN A WILD FINISH AGAINST THE LAKERS 馃く https://t.co/mgpxEonVxn
LeBron James took to Twitter to immediately applaud Jackson's decisive go-ahead basket, writing:
"Great Game!! Mr. October with a big time shot to end it. Salute"
Great Game!! Mr. October with a big time shot to end it. Salute
Mr. October is actually the nickname given to legendary MLB star and Hall of Fame outfielder Reggie Jackson. But James very clearly used it in this context to address the Clippers' guard in the above tweet.
LeBron James cheers Malik Monk too in LA Lakers' contest against Los Angeles Clippers
LeBron James' appreciation for Jackson came shortly after he had cheered Malik Monk's three-point shot. Monk's effort put the Lakers up by two points (108-106) with 28 seconds left in the game. James wrote about the 24-year-old:
"Money Making LIK!!!!!!!!! Bang bang."
Money Making LIK!!!!!!!!! Bang bang.
However, a corner three by Marcus Morris soon after Monk's long-range shot gave the Clippers a one-point lead with 18 seconds left to play.
MORRIS SR. 馃幆 https://t.co/As7WllpjGI
With the LA Clippers taking this win over the LA Lakers in LeBron's absence, they have now improved to a 27-27 record for the season. The Lakers, meanwhile, dropped to 25-28 and are 1.5 games behind the eighth-seeded Clippers.
This was also the Lakers' fourth loss in five games that LeBron James has missed due to swelling in his left knee. The Lakers are 6-11 without James this season.
The 37-year-old, meanwhile, did have a consolation tweet for his teammates at the end of a wild game between the two Los Angeles teams. James tweeted:
"Just needed 1 stop down the stretch! Bros battled though on the 2nd night of a b2b."
Just needed 1 stop down the stretch! Bros battled though on the 2nd night of a b2b
The LA Lakers will now host the New York Knicks and Milwaukee Bucks in their next two games at Crypto.com Arena.