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Dennis Schroder certainly brought his share of excitement to Madison Square Garden during the LA Lakers' showdown against the New York Knicks. With Schroder throwing up a halfcourt heave and turning around before it went in, fans couldn't contain themselves upon seeing the play.
The LA Lakers vs New York Knicks game on Tuesday night was a thriller to say the least. After a series of intense back-and-forths, the game resulted in a 129-123 Lakers win in over-time.
However, much before the game went into OT, the showdown had already seen some exciting displays. Two of these plays took place in the first half.
The final seconds of the first quarter saw LA leading by eight points. After a rather frantic display, New York had the opportunity to bridge the gap. Taking possession of the ball, Knicks star Jalen Brunson shot a calm 3-pointer at the buzzer to cut the lead down to four.
While Brunson's shot was a moment of elation for the crowd at Madison Square Garden, Lakers guard Dennis Schroder had other ideas.
In the final seconds of the second quarter, the tables had turned as the Lakers found themselves trailing by two points against the Knicks. With possession of the ball in the final seconds, the Lakers had to throw up a prayer. Schroder answered the call.
Throwing up a nonchalant halfcourt heave and turning away before it went in, "The Menace" seemingly sucked the life out of the crowd at MSG.
Schroder's uber-cool shot grabbed the attention of basketball fans worldwide. They failed to contain their excitement and shared their reactions to the play on Twitter. One of them tweeted:
"Never seen [Steph] Curry do this"
Here are some of the best reactions:
Dennis Schroder's miraculous heave brought some momentum back in the Lakers' favor. LA built on this and took the lead in the third quarter, appearing to be in a fairly solid position heading into the fourth.
However, the Purple and Gold continued their struggles with closing out games. This saw them blow their lead in the final 12 minutes before eventually getting the win in over-time.
A positive takeaway, however, was that the Lakers saw tremendous contributions from across the board against the Knicks.
LeBron James (28-point triple-double) and Anthony Davis (27 points and nine rebounds) led the charge as expected. They received plenty of help from Russell Westbrook (17 points and eight assists), Rui Hachimura (19 points and nine rebounds) and Dennis Schroder (12 points).
Dennis Schroder has been valuable for the LA Lakers
The LA Lakers' decision to sign Dennis Schroder has seemingly been vindicated over the course of this season, even though they only hold a 24-28 record. Although the history between Schroder and the Purple and Gold is a bit murky, the team has certainly received their money's worth from the guard this season.
Playing in a reduced capacity, he has given LA some impressive output. The German has been a fairly consistent scorer off the bench and has also contributed tremendously as a backup playmaker and defender.
Although his scoring outbursts have been rather sporadic, Schroder has been a solid contributor to the team. He has found a way to blend into the system alongside LeBron James, Anthony Davis and Russell Westbrook and appears to be a net positive for the LA Lakers.
