Lakers Get Their Revenge: Three Observations vs Oklahoma City
After another loss to a less talented team in Memphis last night, the Lakers finished their road trip against Oklahoma City. Anthony Davis missed his second game of the season with knee soreness. The Lakers jumped out to a 14-point cushion after the first quarter, and there would be no repeat of comeback wins for the Thunder, as the Lakers led wire to wire throughout the game.
LeBron James led the way with 33 points, six assists, and five rebounds. In another homecoming game for Russell Westbrook, he only took eight shots but still managed to round out a well-rounded stat line of eight points, nine rebounds, and eight assists. At least for one night, AD’s production was not missed in a rare dominant win.
LeBron James Carried the Team
In his 19th season on a back-to-back, the King showed no signs of slowing down as he led the team with 31 points on 17 shots after three quarters. From the onset, James imposed his will on the game as he looked to attack early and often. Defensively, he was no slouch either, as he had three steals and two blocks to round out a superb performance. Outside of a season high 22 points from Avery Bradley, no other Laker had scored in double digits after three quarters.
Talen Horton-Tucker Continues to Struggle
Horton-Tucker took seven shots for a modest 11 points. After scoring 70 points in his first two games back in November, THT has been struggling to get in a rhythm ever since James came back into the lineup. This was a similar issue to Kyle Kuzma not ever finding optimizing his role in playing alongside James, Hopefully, THT can figure out a way to better impact the game soon.
Consistency Will Be Vital for Teams’ Success Moving Forward
After one of their best wins of the season against the rival Boston Celtics, the Lakers reverted back to their usual lackadaisical play with a stinker against the Grizzles. The Thunder were held to 39.5% shooting, something the Lakers have failed to consistently do as a team this season. As we get deeper into the season, the Lakers will need to find a way to play with more consistently. The schedule is going to get tougher from here on out, and the purple and gold will need to figure out how to start putting together some win streaks.
