Lakers secured a decisive victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder with a final score of 116-104. The Lakers displayed their dominance on both ends of the court, with LeBron James leading the charge with 25 points, 6 rebounds, and 7 assists. Anthony Davis also made his presence felt with an impressive performance, contributing 18 points and 11 rebounds. The Lakers' defense was stifling, holding the Thunder to just 104 points and forcing numerous turnovers throughout the game.
The Lakers pretty much did all of the above against the Thunder (42-19). Gilgeous-Alexander was the league’s second-leading scorer (31.2 points a game) but was held to 20 points on five-for-13 shooting. Jalin Williams, another blossoming star for the Thunder, made only two of nine shots for seven points.
“Our defense, man, kudos to our guys,” Lakers coach Darvin Ham said.
Oklahoma City to 30.6% shooting on the way to a 52-43 lead. It could have been better for the Lakers, but 12 first-half turnovers gave the Thunder way too many easy points (14).
“I told them at halftime it was like the best defensive half I’ve seen all season,” Ham said.
The Lakers extended their lead to 89-72 through three quarters thanks to a suffocating defense that hadn’t presented itself often this season.
If the Lakers are able to get out of the play-in tournament, they will almost certainly feel confident about their chances against Oklahoma City. They took three of the four regular-season meetings with the Thunder.
Thunder this season. Their victory also knocked Oklahoma City down from the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference, though it is still tied with the Minnesota Timberwolves in the loss column.
Los Angeles will go for its fourth win in five games on Wednesday when it hosts the Sacramento Kings.
Both teams weren’t in top form in the first half. The Thunder jumped to a quick 12-point lead, but then fell into a 2-for-21 shooting slump that allowed the Lakers to take a double-digit lead despite committing 12 turnovers.
Oklahoma City big man Jaylin Williams missed his second straight game with a sprained left knee. Mike Muscala made his first appearance since rejoining the Thunder from Detroit, scoring five points in 11 minutes.
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