The Los Angeles Lakers needed as much help as they could get to beat the Miami Heat.

(Photo by Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images)

LeBron James joined Anthony Davis on the sidelines, and the Heat were 9-point favorites in most books just minutes before tip-off.

Then, Dennis Schroder turned back the clock to have one of his best performances in years, scoring 32 points to uplift his team to a 3-point win.

That’s why Lakers coach Darvin Ham — who knew Schroder from their days with the Hawks — showered him in praise:

“Just a tenacious kid I feel in love back in Atlanta 2013 when he came in,” Ham said after the win. “His rookie year was our first year in Atlanta. You could he’s going to be special just because he put the work in and he was competitive, and he always shined in big moments.

“He rolled his ankle, we got in a huddle and I told him ‘Man, if I see you limping, I’m taking you out.’ He said ‘No, leave me in the game, I’ll be aight coach, I’m good.’ I said ‘Well, be good,’ and he’s ‘I’m not gonna be good, I’m gonna be great’ was his exact words to me. That’s why he’s here. He was phenomenal, nothing short of phenomenal,” the coach added.

Schroder’s career took a bit of a downfall after turning down an $84-million offer from the Lakers a couple of seasons ago.

He bounced around the league before heading back to Southern California, and it seems like he’s finally finding his groove again.

Source: dailylifeworld.com