LeBron James drains 3s, Lakers overwhelm Thunder
Respect his range.
Los Angeles Lakers swingman LeBron James continues to show opponents the diversity in his game. A week ago, it was mid-range fall-away jumpers.
During this three-game road trip in which the Lakers dominated the Houston Rockets and Oklahoma City Thunder, it’s been three-point shooting.
James finished 10-for-23 (43.5 percent) from beyond the arc during this three-game stretch as the Lakers made quick work of the Rockets twice and the Thunder on Wednesday, 128-99 over Oklahoma City at Chesapeake Arena.
The Lakers trailed just 11 seconds during the team's three-game sweep through Houston and Oklahoma City.
James finished with 26 points, seven assists and six rebounds, shooting 5-of-8 from the 3-point line against the Thunder. Anthony Davis chipped in 18 points and seven rebounds.
With the win, the Lakers upped their record to 10-3 overall and a franchise-best 7-0 on the road to start the year. Oklahoma dropped to 5-6 on the season.
The Lakers used a 16-0 run to grab a 24-point lead midway through the second quarter, but the Thunder cut it to 58-46 at the half. L.A. increased that lead back to 24 points in the third quarter and never looked back.
Top player: Montrezl Harrell once again brought good energy off the bench, finishing with 21 points and six rebounds. Dennis Schröder finished with 14 points and five assists in his first game against his old team in Oklahoma City.
What I liked: The Lakers made 17 three-pointers, with nine Lakers draining shots from beyond the arc. L.A. led in bench scoring 57-49.
What I did not like: Lakers had just nine fast break points.
Injuries: Wesley Matthews (sore right Achilles) and Jared Dudley (sore right calf) were held out a third straight game, but both are hopeful to be available when the Lakers return to Los Angeles.
They said it: “I like how the chemistry is coming along. I think those things really take a full season to play out. Our guys are having a good willingness to laugh with each other off the basketball court and to work through spacing and relationships on the court, defensive coverages and those types of things. I think there’s a willingness to challenge each other and to listen to each other, which are good signs when you’re looking to build chemistry.” – Lakers head coach Frank Vogel on his team’s improved chemistry since the start of the season.
