Top Performers From OKC's Second Massive Comeback Over the Lakers
A week ago, Darius Bazley delivered a dunk in the closing moments to cap off an improbable comeback victory over the Los Angeles Lakers.
On Thursday night, it was Lu Dort’s turn to bury the very same Lakers.
The Oklahoma City Thunder erased a 19-point deficit to beat LA 107-104 in the Staples Center.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the charge for Oklahoma City again with a team-high 28 points, also dishing out all six of his assists in the second half. But the Thunder also got key contributions from some other guys to help Gilgeous-Alexander down the Lakers for the second time this season.
Ty Jerome
Needing a spark after the Thunder conceded a big lead in the second quarter, Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault turned to reserve point guard Ty Jerome for an offensive scoring punch.
Jerome delivered for OKC, scoring 13 first half points, with 11 of those 13 points coming in the final three and a half minutes of the first half.
By the end of Jerome’s scoring flurry, the Thunder headed into halftime down just four points, setting the table for a competitive second half.
For a stretch of that time, Oklahoma City actually rolled out a four-guard lineup, and Jerome’s offensive versatility helped the Thunder navigate that stretch with great efficiency.
Darius Bazley
Yet again, Bazley was tasked with the unenviable defensive matchup of checking Anthony Davis.
And just like the first contest between the Lakers and the Thunder, Davis got off to a hot scoring start.
But Bazley settled in, making life harder on the All-Star big in the second half, while also finding a way to be a positive on the other end of the floor.
Bazley finished with 14 points for the Thunder, tied for the third-highest output on the team, also pulling down five rebounds and adding an assist.
Most importantly, Bazley’s scoring attack was efficient, knocking down 6-of-11 attempts from the field and 2-of-3 shots from 3-point range.
His third season was always going to be a big year for Bazley, and so far he’s found a level of consistency that had been missing from his first two years in the NBA.
Lu Dort
In the closing seconds of the game, Dort popped up to score four crucial points and seal off the victory.
With 17 seconds left, Gilgeous-Alexander drew a mob of Lakers and was able to find Dort, who slammed the ball home to put OKC up four points.
On the other end of the floor, Carmelo Anthony knocked down a clutch 3, but Dort again showed out on the offensive end, hitting two crucial free throws to clinch the victory.
In total, Dort finished second on the team with 17 points, also tacking on three rebounds and three assists, while also making life hard on Russell Westbrook defensively.
The former Thunder guard still finished with 27 points, but he had to earn every one of those in a 10-of-23 shooting night as Dort’s physicality wore on him over the course of the game. In the decisive fourth quarter, Westbrook shot a dismal 1-of-6 from the field, missing both of his 3-point attempts down the stretch, in large part due to Dort’s defensive efforts.
Want to join the discussion? Like SI Thunder on Facebook and follow us on Twitter to stay up to date on all the latest Thunder news. You can also meet the team behind the coverage.
