Getty Matt Ryan #37, Los Angeles Lakers
With 1.4 seconds left and down three points to the New Orleans Pelicans, the Los Angeles Lakers had to score fast to give themselves a puncher’s chance. In their last play in regulation, Austin Reaves inbounded the ball to former Boston Celtics wing Matt Ryan, who then hit the game-tying three-pointer to send it into overtime.
MATT RYAN. WOW 🤯🤯🤯
The Lakers would go on to win 120-117, and it would not have been possible without Ryan’s buzzer-beater. Fans gave their own reactions to Ryan’s late-game heroics. Lakers fans were pretty pleased with Ryan’s performance.
Matt Ryan leaving Staples Center
Austin Reaves welcoming Matt Ryan into the NBA cold white boy club:
Celtics fans were happy for Ryan even though he hit the shot for his former team’s rival.
Happy for Matt Ryan but ya know…wish he missed
Other fans used videos of well-known reactions to express their shock at the jumper that Ryan hit.
Lakers fans after Matt Ryan hit the 3 to send it to OT
Ryan has hit buzzer-beaters before, as he hit one for the Celtics during the 2022 Las Vegas Summer League. The difference between that one and the one he hit for the Lakers is that he didn’t hurt himself in the process.
Ryan’s Reaction to His Buzzer Beater
Because his buzzer-beater played a role in the Lakers beating the Pelicans, reporters spoke to Ryan after the game, where he gave his thoughts on his shot that sent the game to overtime.
Ryan talked about how his confidence affects his abilities as a shooter.
“My confidence when it comes to shooting is unwavering,” Ryan said. “I wouldn’t be here if that wasn’t the case after the past year and a half, two years I’ve had. I wouldn’t be able to play at this level if I didn’t think I could. I wasn’t making a lot of shots all game. I had three or four in-and-outs, and I’m just thankful coach gave me the opportunity to hit a three at the end to send it to OT.”
Ryan added that making that shot was the biggest moment of his professional basketball career since he hasn’t made many buzzer-beaters since starting it in the G-League in 2021.
“Last year in the G-League, I had a couple of opportunities to send games into OT or win it, and I was like (zero) for three doing those shots. I had a good shot in summer league to win a game. Then this is definitely the biggest shot of my life so far. Hopefully there’s a bunch more to come.
Ryan’s Performance This Season
After making the Lakers’ opening night roster, Ryan has been involved in their rotation since opening night. Of the seven games that they have played thus far, Ryan has played in five of them.
In those five games, Ryan has averaged 6.2 points a game while shooting 42.3 percent from the field and 45 percent from three in 14 minutes a game.
Ryan has played in a much larger role with the Lakers compared to his tenure with the Celtics last season, where Ryan played in one game – the season finale against the Memphis Grizzlies – where Ryan made one three-pointer in their 139-110 victory.
The 11 points that Ryan put up against the Pelicans on November 2 was a career-high for him.