Top 100 moments of the 2018-19 NBA season, Part 2

47. Los Angeles Lakers-San Antonio Spurs overtime with clutch shots from LeBron James and Patty Mills sends L.A. to 0-3

In yet another high-scoring, frenetically paced game that characterized the start of the 2018-19 season, the Los Angeles Lakers were looking for their first win of the season at home against a vulnerable and injury-battered San Antonio Spurs side. It took overtime to decide the outcome, but they ultimately didn’t get it, dropping LeBron James to 0-3 to start a season for the first time since his rookie year.

Still, the game was thrilling for a number of reasons, and not just the absurd 143-142 final score. The Spurs led by eight points with 1:10 to play in regulation, but a quick JaVale McGee dunk out of a timeout, a Kyle Kuzma 3 and a clutch triple from LeBron that ignited Staples Center tied the game up and forced overtime.

The Lakers had the upper hand in the extra period, riding LeBron James, the unexpected contributions of Johnathan Williams and a bizarre sequence ending in a 3-point play to build a six-point lead with 55.6 seconds left.

Just as the Spurs had done, however, the Lakers squandered their lead, giving up a Bryn Forbes drive, a Rudy Gay 3 and a game-winner from Patty Mills with seven seconds left. Even worse, James missed two critical free throws with 12.8 seconds left that would’ve forced San Antonio to look for a game-tying 3. Instead, Mills got an easy mid-range jumper for the lead and James couldn’t answer at the buzzer.

It was a deflating loss for Lakers fans and LeBron stans alike, which of course ignited an online feud with Kobe Bryant stans when the “Kobe would’ve made those” jokes started rolling in. For the third game of the season, it doesn’t get much more intriguing than this.