LeBron James secures a play-in spot for the Lakers with 37 points and wins against Jazz in overtime

Things have been going right for the Los Angeles Lakers lately. They entered Tuesday’s game against the Utah Jazz after winning their last three games, and with the Jazz exhausted by injuries, it seemed they had a clear path to not only winning their fourth straight game, but at least secure a place in the Western Conference game – in the tournament. With that in mind, the Lakers may have taken the Jazz a bit lightly, knowing that a historic fight with the Clippers looms tomorrow. Utah took advantage of that.

The Lakers led 124-114 with 1:43 in the game, but a 10-0 Jazz run sent the game into overtime. Utah even led the Lakers with a minute left in overtime. A jumper by Austin Reaves gave the lead back to the Lakers, but former Laker Talen Horton-Tucker tied the game again with 133 at the free-throw line. But after a hiatus, the most famous Laker had perhaps his biggest moment of the season. LeBron James raced to a quick layup to give the Lakers the 135-133. A stop later, the Lakers sealed the win.

The two points from the layup gave James 37 that night, which is the most points he has scored since returning from the foot injury that kept him sidelined for most of March. His teammates were so impressed with the performance that they barely allowed him to speak to the media after the game. They tried to drown out his answers with goat noises.

The win put the Lakers in control of their own destiny for the No. 5 in the Western Conference playoffs. While they currently trail the Clippers in the standings, the two go head-to-head on Wednesday, with the winner taking a one-game lead with just two games left. However, it’s unclear if the Lakers will actually use all of their best players as the game is the second half of a back-to-back game. The Lakers have exercised caution on this front all season, and Darvin Ham called that James, Anthony Davis and D’Angelo Russell will all be re-evaluated tomorrow before a decision is made on their status.

But two months ago, the Lakers were well below .500 and languishing in the No. 13 seed. They largely ended their rise up the standings with James injured. It therefore feels fitting that a suddenly healthy James would provide the final bucket necessary to secure their postseason position. He may not have been involved in all of his team’s recent successes, but he was there when they needed him most and now the Lakers’ prospects look brighter than ever.