The Los Angeles Lakers had both their first overtime game and first overtime win on Saturday night in a 127-125 nail-biting victory over the conference rival Denver Nuggets and while there was no shortage of thrilling moments or standout performances, it was an extra special win for one Lakers guard in particular. 

Marcus Smart came into the game looking for redemption. In the Lakers' last matchup just a few weeks ago, one that ended in a Los Angeles loss, Smart left feeling like he could have done better.

He scored just nine points and by his own admission after the game on Saturday, said he had multiple looks to put the Lakers ahead, but that shots were just not falling.

He found his redemption this time around. Smart scored 21 points, his third-highest scoring game of the season, while shooting 8-15 from the field. His five steals tied Nikola Jokic for the most in the game but the moment where Smart truly distinguished himself came in overtime. 

With just 30 seconds left in overtime and the Lakers down by one, Smart received a slick behind the back pass from Luka Doncic on the edge of the three point line and in an instant pulled and fired to give the Lakers the lead. 

Smart that it, of course, felt great to be able to land that shot to help out his team, but what felt even better was the trust that his teammates put into him to make a shot like that, especially in light of his last performance against Denver. 

"It felt good for my teammates to believe in me... I could have easily fell into that trap where we're like, 'Not again.' And I wouldn't blame Luka and those guys for not trusting me," Smart said (via The Sporting Tribune). "I think it speaks to our team. It speaks to me. It speaks to those guys and how willing they are to trust each other and trust us."

The Lakers are a team that obviously thrives on star power with the likes of Doncic, LeBron James and the meteoric rise of Austin Reaves, but that doesn't mean they're the only three on the court in purple and gold. 

The strength of any team comes from the entirety of their roster and the capability of anyone and everyone to rise to the occasion at any given moment. 

To make that happen, it needs both execution from the surrounding players, which Smart exhibited, and trust from the stars for that execution, which Doncic exhibited. 

The Lakers are heating up as the season draws to a close and with the roster clicking the way they have been, Los Angeles could be dangerous down the stretch and into the playoffs.