OKC Thunder Spoils LeBron James' Historic Night, 133-130
As the league watched LeBron James surpass Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s all-time scoring record, the Oklahoma City Thunder added another one to win column after converting 17-of-34 3-pointers and corralling 12 steals to defeat the Los Angeles Lakers, 133-130.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the way for Oklahoma City, scoring 30 points on 9-of-17 shooting, converting 11-of-12 free throw attempts, and dishing out eight assists. Jalen Williams and Josh Giddey were instrumental as well, combining for 45 points on 20-of-38 shooting, eight assists, and six steals.
Despite the loss, James finished his historic night with 38 points on 13-of-20 shooting, going 4-for-6 from downtown, securing seven boards, and finding three assists and three steals. Former Thunder superstar, Russell Westbrook, added 27 points, eight assists, two steals, and a block off the bench.
All three Williams in the starting lineup, Kenrich, Jaylin, and Jalen, kicked off the Thunder’s scoring efforts in the first frame with three triples to earn a 9-7 lead over the Lakers, before James drilled a 3-pointer in the right corner to put Los Angeles back on top, 14-13.
After James scored eight straight points for the Lakers in the middle of the first, offenses on both sides turned things up a notch as Mike Muscala and Gilgeous-Alexander would combine for 18 points, including eight free throw attempts and three 3-pointers, to power the Thunder to a 36-34 lead to closeout the quarter.
James and the Lakers got off to a strong start in the second frame, carving out a pair of and-ones, making both free throws, and finding his 14th point, before a Giddey turnover led to Westbrook hammering home a transition dunk to break open a 45-40 lead just before the 10-minute mark.
Two triples via Jalen Williams and the interior finishing of Josh Giddey combined to score 10 points thereafter, leading to a 52-48 lead for the Thunder. But ‘MVP’ chants erupted for James who quickly found his 20th point after his four trips to the free throw line put the Lakers back on top, 53-52.
But the Thunder wouldn’t go quietly, as Muscala would find his fourth 3-point make while the sharp-shooting Isaiah Joe delivered another. And Jalen Williams and Gilgeous-Alexander would each pile on another pair of buckets to help extend the Thunder’s lead, 72-57 with a little more than two minutes to go.
A timely 3-pointer by Westbrook would spark a 7-0 run for the Lakers, but another pair of free throws by Gilgeous-Alexander and a mid-range fadeaway by Jalen Williams would send the Thunder into the break, up 76-65.
Coming out of half-time, Gilgeous-Alexander and Anthony Davis exchanged mid-range buckets to kick the second half off, before James and Jaylin Williams each cashed in at the charity stripe after finding contact. Williams would follow up his free throws with a momentous dunk but James swished a pair of deep 3-pointers for his 28th point to cut the Thunder’s lead to just six, 84-78.
The middle of the third quarter saw Giddey find a couple of buckets before Gilgeous-Alexander would drain a 18-foot jumpshot to push the Thunder’s lead back to 12, 92-80. But a botched open layup and a turnover by Giddey would lead to Westbrook finding James for an easy inside finish.
With about four minutes to go, Joe would check in for Giddey to pour in the Thunder’s 13th and 14th 3-pointers of the night. But a triple by Troy Brown, Jr. and a pair of alley-oop dimes from Westbrook to James and Davis shrank the lead to just seven, 102-95.
And as the crowd’s momentum built towards James’ passing of Abdul-Jabbar’s all-time scoring record, the 38-year-old forward found his 34th point of the night. Moments later, James would drop his patented mid-range turnaround jumper over the outstretched arms of Kenrich Williams to earn his 38,388th point of his career, surpassing Abdul-Jabbar in the history books, with 10.9 seconds remaining in the third quarter.
After a pause in the action to honor James’ newest historical achievement came to an end, Jaylin Williams and Hachimura exchanged a couple of mid-range jumpers to kick off the fourth quarter before Westbrook buried his fourth 3-pointer to cut the Thunder’s lead to two, 106-104.
The Lakers’ newest acquisition, Rui Hachimura would cut into the Thunder’s defense to find a layup to knot things up, 106-106, but Joe would step up to bang home another 3-pointer to spark a quick 7-0 burst to bring the score to 113-106. Moments later, Joe would hit another from the right wing, converting the Thunder’s 16th triple of the night.
As the Lakers continued their pursuit of a comeback victory, Wiggins found his way to the basket for two points before Gilgeous-Alexander pulled up from 26-feet to pour in yet another triple for Oklahoma City and their 17th of the night to break open a 123-112 lead with less than five minutes remaining.
And as Kenrich Williams, Giddey, and Jalen Williams each found their way to the Lakers rim to score a quick six points with just under three minutes to go, it became increasingly clear that the Thunder would spoil James’ big night and hang on to win their 26th game of the season, 133-130.
The Thunder will get a couple of days of rest before traveling north, to Portland, to face Damian Lillard and the Trailblazers on Friday at 9:00 p.m. CST.
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