Aussie steals the show from superstar James

AUSTRALIAN Patty Mills hit a go-ahead jumper with 6.8 seconds left as the San Antonio Spurs kept the Los Angeles Lakers winless with LeBron James, rallying from a sixpoint deficit in the final minute of overtime for a wild 143-142 NBA victory.

James hit a tying threepointer with 2.4 seconds left in regulation time and finished with 32 points, 14 assists and eight rebounds. But the super- star missed two free throws with 12.8 seconds to play in overtime, and Mills coolly put the Spurs ahead.

Mills played 31 minutes and scored 12 points.

James tried but missed a long shot at the buzzer, thoroughly deflating the Lakers’ home crowd at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.

LaMarcus Aldridge had 37 points and 10 rebounds, and DeMar DeRozan added 32 points and 14 assists as the Spurs made a tremendous rally to bounce back from a loss at Portland.

Kyle Kuzma had 37 points and eight rebounds for the Lakers, who played without suspended starters Brandon Ingram and Rajon Rondo. Josh Hart added 20 points and 10 rebounds. The Spurs jumped on the Lakers early, hitting 14 of their first 17 shots and opening an 18-point lead.

James missed six of his first eight shots, but regained his game along with the rest of the Lakers, who trailed only 99-96 entering the fourth quarter.

James’s dramatic three from a full step beyond the arc capped the Lakers’ improbable rally from an eight-point defi- cit in the final 1:04 of regulation time. The Lakers then took a 142-136 lead late in overtime, with a line-up matching James with three second-year pros and unsung rookie Johnathan Williams in his NBA debut.

But the Lakers sputtered and the Spurs rallied. Rudy Gay’s three-pointer cut the Lakers’ lead to 142-141, and James missed his free throws before the jumper by Mills.