LeBron James made his return to the court after missing two games with an injury, sparking the Lakers in a crucial second-half rally that ultimately helped them overcome Oklahoma City Thunder 112-105.
Los Angeles defeated Oklahoma City Thunder 133-110 last Wednesday thanks to their interior strength, led by Davis and a core of cutters and rim threats who combined for 64 points in the paint advantage for LA.
Los Angeles took control of the third quarter, outscoring Oklahoma City 34-26 to extend their lead to 84-76. But Austin Reaves and D’Angelo Russell both returned to starting lineups after starting separately since November 8. Los Angeles would struggle to maintain momentum moving into fourth quarter play despite outscoring Oklahoma City 34-26 for an extended lead 84-76.
LeBron James Returns
LA improved to 20-21 while winning for the third time in six games, thanks to an 84-76 win against Washington. Cam Reddish missed due to knee swelling, so the Lakers went back to starting backcourt of D’Angelo Russell and Austin Reaves who both scored 15 points apiece to create a 34-26 third-quarter advantage and shoot 70 percent, leading them to take an 84-76 lead at halftime.
Bryant has been instrumental in LA’s recent success, even though his limited quickness and timing make him vulnerable defensively. His value lies in attacking mismatches with the ball and energizing teammates during transition, while being an effective rim runner with soft touch inside the arc – his dunk on Chet Holmgren in the first quarter arguably set the tone for LA’s victory that day.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Struggles
Regaining the level of play that earned Shai Gilgeous-Alexander a maximum contract extension is of paramount importance to the Lakers. That includes scoring regularly and shooting well. While the fourth-year guard has struggled at times this year, and had an off night against Philadelphia.
He struggled to beat his man off of the dribble and was frequently double-teamed on his attempts. This limited his ability to reach the basket quickly, as well as prevent easy looks at its rim.
As noted above, he continues to rely on sidestep and step-back 3-pointers, even though they make for some impressive highlight plays, but don’t contribute much in terms of developing him into a well-rounded player in the long run. That may explain why his 3-point shooting has decreased considerably this season compared to last. Luckily for the young guard though, these current struggles may actually help adjust his game and become a greater long-term contributor for Los Angeles.
Russell Westbrook Struggles
The Clippers possess an elite duo in LeBron James and Anthony Davis that should provide them with an ample foundation of offensive output, but they need a reliable third option on offense? this may prove a challenge for Russell Westbrook who struggled against Oklahoma City Thunder Monday night but has since shown signs of adapting to his new role as their fourth option.
Los Angeles has seen outstanding production from Jalen Williams, Austin Reaves and Chet Holmgren this season; however, finding another way to integrate Westbrook into their offense would help immensely – he can be an extremely dominant presence when given control of the ball; leaving him out of starting lineup causes issues for LA.
Though Westbrook had struggled throughout his Thunder career, he managed to put on an outstanding showing Friday in their 148-147 double overtime victory against the Magic. He finished with 43 points, 15 rebounds and 13 assists just two short of breaking Wilt Chamberlain’s record for consecutive triple-doubles.
Los Angeles Ends Thunder’s Win Streak
Los Angeles Lakers forward Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was instrumental to their victory on Monday night despite an ongoing right knee sprain, scoring 24 points on 9-for-19 shooting and adding three rebounds and six assists for an easy victory that ended Oklahoma City?s four-game winning streak in their opener of an important four-game road trip.
LeBron James and Davis each played well as the Lakers won for only the sixth time in 18 games since winning their inaugural In-Season Tournament earlier in December, something which may come as a shock given that they took home first place at that tournament. Unfortunately, though, this win only further confirmed that LA lacked secondary scoring needed to remain within the top-10 Western Conference standings. Austin Reaves and D’Angelo Russell performed admirably together again, scoring 15 and 14 points respectively; starting together again for two games consecutive times since November 8 and sharing the ball among each backcourt partners allowed LA control over glass control while limiting OKC’s fondness for 3-pointers.
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