LOS ANGELES _ The Los Angeles Lakers had a Friday night in their home city waiting for them, a 20-point deficit in the second half to the playoff-bound Milwaukee Bucks the only thing standing between them and the weekend.
The things to play for? They didn't really apply _ not with the hopes for a trip to the postseason already extinguished.
But a group of players who have been doubted and dumped, traded and trashed _ Tyler Ennis, Alex Caruso, Ivica Zubac, Channing Frye and Kyle Kuzma _ triggered a furious fourth-quarter rally that electrified the crowd at Staples Center.
Zubac, the second-year center who's been on the fringes of Walton's rotation, scored 14 points without missing from the field in the fourth quarter. He exited the game with his team back in the fight _ and received a standing ovation for his efforts.
The rally fell short when Kuzma's potential game-winning shot missed badly.
But in a 124-122 overtime loss, the Lakers provided another reminder that this team is closer to meaningful late-season basketball than they've been in years.
Going toe-to-toe with a playoff team, the Lakers looked the part. They're just not quite there _ an affliction that you can see on the roster.
One of their best players this season, second-year forward Brandon Ingram, is a string-bean armed, ball-handling playmaker in the mold of Milwaukee's young superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo, minus some muscle and some athleticism that Ingram might never develop.
"They're both really good basketball players. They have the length. They have the unique ability to finish around people in the paint," Walton said before the game. "Because of that length, they both can handle the ball like point guards. There are definitely similarities to their game."
Friday, it was wildly obvious that Ingram has work to do to make those comparisons anything more than the optimistic projections.
Antetokounmpo's size, strength and skill went unmatched with the "Greek Freak" finishing with 27 points, 16 rebounds and four assists.
Ingram, by contrast, finished with 12 points on five-of-seven shooting while making both of his three-point shots. He had six assists but also had five turnovers and missed all three of his free throws.
Eric Bledsoe opened overtime by scoring nine-straight points and led all scorers with 39.
