Lakers Beat Oklahoma City with Complete Team Effort
In what was one of their most impressive showings of the season, the Lakers beat the streaking Oklahoma City Thunder, 125-110, on the second game of a back-to-back without LeBron James (chest cold), Anthony Davis (gluteus maximus contusion) and Danny Green (sore right hip) on Saturday evening.
Here are our four takeaways from the game.
1. Kuzma was huge this trip
Kyle Kuzma took complete advantage of his opportunity to enter the starting lineup in Anthony Davis' absence. He finished with a season-high 36 points on 62.5 percent shooting, including making four of his six three-point attempts against the Thunder. He also had seven rebounds and only one turnover, finishing with a plus-minus rating of 20, the highest of the game. It was quite a showing following an impressive 26-point, six-rebound game on Friday against Dallas. Before the trip, Lakers' coach Frank Vogel said he just wanted Kuzma to be himself if Davis couldn't play. Kuzma went on to pick his spots and play smart, efficient basketball without trying to force anything. Kuzma was rumored to be on the trading block before these last two outings. This was exactly what he needed.
2. The Lakers are deep
Four Lakers' reserves scored in double-figures against the Thunder, including Dwight Howard (12 points), Alex Caruso (11 points), Troy Daniels (12 points) and Quinn Cook (13 points). The Lakers' bench outscored the Thunder's reserves, 48-34. Vogel couldn't have scripted it better. This was exactly what the Lakers needed to do with three of their starters out. These team wins are incredibly good for morale and can have lasting reverberations in the locker room.
Tweeted Jared Dudley after Saturday's win: "I said we 15 DEEP!!!!! Great Team Win! #nextmanup"
3. The Lakers are tough on the road
The Lakers have the best road record in the NBA at 17-3. They beat a Thunder team that had won 11 of their last 13 games without James and Davis, who average a combined 52.5 points, 17.4 rebounds and 13.9 assists a game. And they did it on the tail-end of a back-to-back. The Lakers (32-7) have won eight games in a row.
4. Rondo stepped up
Rajon Rondo set the tone for the Lakers right after tipoff. He opened the game with 12 points on six-for-six shooting in six minutes and went on to finish with 21 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists in 32 minutes. On the season, he averages 7.6 points, 3.8 rebounds and 5.4 assists in 21.1 minutes. The 33-year-old knew he needed to play aggressively on Saturday and helped the Lakers lead by as many as 32 points.
