The Los Angeles Lakers finally beat the Portland Trail Blazers on Saturday night. It took the Latke Show 17 tries to beat Rip City, this time in an ugly, drag-it-out matchup at Moda Center in Portland.
One of the most impressive plays of the night was the save of a ball from going out of bounds by Lakers guard Josh Hart late in the game.
As Hart reached for the ball, he grabbed it with one hand, slid on one foot, then kept his right foot from touching the baseline as he contorted his body a la “The Matrix”.
Via Twitter:
How did Josh Hart stay in bounds? pic.twitter.com/43jlAa8Ejx
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) November 4, 2018
The Blazers bench was furious that Hart was not called for being out of bounds, but indeed the Lakers youngster kept any part of his body from touching the baseline. They might have had better luck arguing that Hart travelled given that in slow motion he appeared to have gained control of the ball with his right hand, legally established a pivot foot with his left foot, then dragged that foot for a couple of feet.
It was a physically impressive play no matter what, and Los Angeles getting the win in Portland was perhaps an important moment in this young Lakers season.
