The Los Angeles Lakers were not shy when discussing the importance of Saturday night’s game against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Coming in as losers of four straight, Anthony Davis said it was a must-win and head coach Darvin Ham followed suit by making a rare starting lineup change.
He replaced D’Angelo Russell, who has been struggling, with Jarred Vanderbilt in order to add more length defensively against a tough Oklahoma City team.
The Lakers responded well as they led for much of the night and by as many as 26, cruising to a 129-120 victory to snap their losing streak.
As is normally the case, LeBron James led the way as he had his best scoring performance of the season just one week before his 39th birthday. James had 40 points on 13-of-20 shooting, including a perfect 5-of-5 from deep, to go along with seven rebounds, seven assists, two blocks and two steals.
When the Thunder were making a run to get back in the game late, it was James who closed them out with 15 points in the final nine minutes of the contest.
Davis was also stellar for L.A., finishing with 26 points, 11 rebounds, seven assists, one steals and two blocks in 42 minutes. He played the entire second half and did a great job of protecting the paint defensively while finding his teammates for good looks when he was doubled offensively.
Rui Hachimura had arguably his best game of the season off the bench for the Lakers with 21 points, six rebounds and two assists on 8-of-14 shooting. The Lakers’ bench as a whole made big contributions as Russell added 15 points while Austin Reaves had 11 points, three rebounds and nine assists.
The Thunder deserve a lot of credit for fighting their way back in it despite the loss. As usual, they were led by star guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who had 34 points, five rebounds, seven assists and three steals.
Jalen Williams also had a quality game with 28 points, six rebounds and three assists while Cheat Holmgren contributed 19 points, 10 rebounds and three blocks.
Up next for the Lakers…
After finish their road trip at 1-2, the Lakers now head home where they will host the Boston Celtics in a huge matchup on Christmas Day. The Lakers and Celtics are the league’s premiere matchup, so the game is set to start at 2 p.m. PT on ABC.
The Lakers will then host the Charlotte Hornets on Dec. 28 before heading back out on the road for another trip.
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