Anthony Davis and Lakers defeat Wizards in another OT thriller

The crowd cheered unusually loud, at least relative to how it normally sounds for successful free throws in the second quarter.

But this particular free throw from Anthony Davis with 2:49 left in the first half earned a semi-sarcastic roar. The Lakers had tied the game, ending a healthy stretch where they trailed the Washington Wizards, one of the NBA’s worst teams in a half-hearted effort.

The crowd went silent much later Thursday night after another free throw, this one from Washington’s Tyus Jones, tied the game in the final minutes of the fourth quarter. And it sighed with relief when Washington‘s Jordan Poole’s potential game-winner rocketed off the backboard to send the game into overtime.

The eruption didn’t come until even later, when LeBron James saved a basket with a chase-down block and followed it with a swished three-pointer — the biggest plays of a 134-131 win.

Davis led the Lakers with 40 points and 15 rebounds. James finished with 31, leaving him nine shy of 40,000 career regular-season points.

He’ll likely pass that mark Saturday in a marquee game with Denver.

Following an emotional comeback win Wednesday against the Clippers, the Lakers never really found a consistent level of intensity until the second half.

They built an eight-point lead, but big plays from former Laker Kyle Kuzma and Poole threatened to cancel any good vibes the Lakers built the game before.

But Austin Reaves’ driving basket with 24 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter was followed by Poole’s miss with less than two seconds left and sent the game to overtime.

The Wizards had one final chance to extend the game, but Kuzma missed a potential tying three-pointer with 7.9 seconds left and the Lakers tapped the rebound out and dribbled out the clock.

The win is the first of a stretch where the Lakers play 10 of their next 11 games at home.