Lamar Odom hits buzzer-beater to nip win against Magnolia during tuneup

“In his second tuneup game in blue, Lamar Odom proves he’s still clutch material as he sinks a game-winning three to lift Mighty Sports 98-97 against a formidable Magnolia Hotshots—PBA’s current Governor’s Cup champions.” (File Photo: Bughaw Sports/Facebook)

Former National Basketball Association (NBA) Los Angeles (LA) Laker Lamar Odom began his run with Team Mighty Sports on a high note as he heads the Coach Charles-Tiu-led squad to victory during their tuneup against Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) team Magnolia Hotshots last Tuesday, January 29 at the Ronac Gym.

The score ended at 98-97, with the 6-foot-10 import hitting a clutch three-pointer during the last few seconds of the game. Odom shared a video of the game-winner on his social media, captioned, “When my shot took the team leading the score, truly no better feeling than that. We still gotta work, though! Getting better everyday! Proud of my team!” Odom played limited minutes from the last two games, scoring 2-for-5 shooting from the field in the former and hitting seven points, five rebounds, and two assists in the second game, but as he is getting back into his competition condition, he shared, “My legs are dead a little bit but it’s going to be better as time goes by.”

This victory of Mighty Sports follows their previous tuneup win against Blackwater Elite, where the score ended 106-99. However, despite their victories, Coach Charles Tiu still “would not consider [his team] ready yet,” saying, “We need to play real smart defensively and also need to improve our execution.” He added, “On a scale of 10, we’re still at level 5. We need to reach 7 or 8 before we leave for Dubai. The tournament there is very tough.”

Besides Odom, the Mighty Sports lineup also includes Ginebra import Justin Brownlee, Chinese league veteran Randolph Morris, Filipino-Americans Jeremiah Gray and Roosevelt Adams, former pros TY Tang, Joseph Yeo, and Jett Manuel, Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL) and PBA Developmental League (D-League) star Gab Banal, as well as college standouts Juan Gomez de Liano, Justin Gutang, Santi Santillan, and Angelo Wongchuking.

The entire team departs to play at the 30th Dubai International Basketball Tournament on Thursday, January 31.