Lakers News: LA's Win Over Thunder Came With An Eye Toward Potential Playoff Matchup
Controlling the West's No. 1 seed for quite a bit this season, the Oklahoma City Thunder have been amongst the NBA's best teams on on both ends of the floor.
They've picked up massive wins against the Clippers, Celtics, Timberwolves, Nuggets, and more, highlighting their belonging amongst the league's elite.
In their last three matchups against your Los Angeles Lakers, however, they have looked woeful. Losing all 3 by a fairly comfortable margin, OKC is clearly disturbed by LA's size ability to contest shots at a high level, and play the passing lanes well.
An offense that relies heavily on jump shots, the Thunder can be a bit streaky, but given MVP candidate Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's ability (among others) to get to the rim, they can generate offense even on their off-nights.
The Lakers, however, possess a stout backline led by Anthony Davis, hurting OKC's read-and-react and drive-and-kick offenses, on top of their ability to finish around the basket. Even with great spacing, they struggle to score against the Lakers, making them an optimal first-round matchup for LA (all things considered), who is likely locked into the No. 8 seed.
D'Angelo Russell made an interesting comment after the game regarding the matchup (per Dan Woike of The Los Angeles Times):
“You can’t relax,” Russell said. “I think they’re number one, right? Yeah, so I mean you gotta you gotta be ready to play against those guys. It’s no fluke."
LA clearly came to play, and DLo implying that they chose to reach another gear coming into the matchup suggests that they have the ability to elevate their play as needed, given the competition.
Their season record suggests that, as they've looked good against nearly every good team they've played with the exception of Denver, who they at least play close.
While the West is better than last season, the top of the conference does remain susceptible to being upset. With sleeping giants like LA, Dallas, and Phoenix sitting as candidates to be the 6th-8th seeds, the top seeds must be on watch for the anarchy that could occur in less than six weeks.
