Déjà vu for Lakers as they run past OKC in OT -- again
For a second straight game, the Los Angeles Lakers fell behind by double digits to the Oklahoma City Thunder, trailing by as many as 20 points in the first half.
It didn't matter.
LeBron James put on his Superman cape once again, leading the Lakers on a second-half surge and helping the Lakers earn a 114-113 victory over Oklahoma City on Wednesday at the Staples Center.
Wesley Matthews hit another big 3-pointer in extra time, this one from the corner with 41.4 seconds left, giving the Lakers the lead for good.
Matthews finished with 10 points, shooting 3-for-8 from beyond the arc.
The Lakers played and won a overtime game for a third game in a row for the first time since November 1991.
According to Elias Sports, L.A.'s overtime win marks just the seventh time in NBA history that a team has won three consecutive games that all went to overtime, a feat last accomplished by Minnesota in January 2007.
LeBron James hit a long 3-pointer with 19 seconds left to tie the game at 105. James finished with 25 points, seven assists and six rebounds.
With the victory, the Lakers pushed their winning streak to six games and improved to 20-6 on the season, while the Thunder dropped to 10-13 on the year.
Kenrich Williams finished with a career-high 24 points for Oklahoma City. The Thunder had just eight players available for a second game in a row against the Lakers.
Trailing most of the game, the Lakers did not take their first lead until the fourth quarter, a fast break ran by James with a dish to Kyle Kuzma for a left-handed, lay-in, giving Los Angeles a 95-94 lead with 4:59 left to play.
Point guard Dennis Schröder finished with 19 points, seven rebounds and five assists.
Top player: Montrezl Harrell finished with 20 points and three rebounds and two blocks, providing a spark off the bench. It's the third time this season Harrell scored at least 20 points against the Thunder this season.
What I liked: The Lakers finished 20-of-24 from the free throw line.
What I did not like: The Lakers were outscored 66-60 by OKC in paint points. Los Angeles struggled from beyond the arc again, shooting 10-of-35 (28.6 percent) from the 3-point line.
Injuries: Anthony Davis missed a second game in a row with soreness in his right Achilles area. Guard Alex Caruso also missed a second straight game with a sore right hand. Jared Dudley remains out with right calf soreness.
They said it: “Our pace tends to pick up as the game goes on, I can definitely see that. We definitely have to be more conscientious with how we start games. Allowing ourselves to get down double digits, things of that nature is not something we want, not something we want to have long-term. I don’t think it’s sense of urgency because we play with a sense of urgency. I just think it’s our demeanor and our pace is very slow to start the game, and as the game goes on we start to pick it up.” – James on his team’s slow starts.
