After a rough loss to the Memphis Grizzlies, the Los Angeles Lakers got back into the win column in the second game of a back-to-back with a dominant 116-95 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder.
After blowing big leads and losing to the Thunder twice this season already, there’s no doubt that it felt good to hold onto the lead and win this time around.
In Anthony Davis’ absence, LeBron James led the way for the Lakers with a game-high 33 points on 13-of-20 shooting. He also contributed five rebounds, six assists, three steals and a block, proving that he’s still one of the best players in the world.
It was also unquestionably the best game of the season for Avery Bradley, who had 22 points on 8-of-14 shooting (6-of-8 from three) while also playing very strong defense on Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
After falling out of the rotation the last few games, rookie Austin Reaves got another chance in this one and showed why Laker fans fell in love with him by coming up with a number of hustle plays.
Reaves also flashed some offense, finishing with 13 points, five rebounds and two assists while being a plus-17 for L.A.
While Russell Westbrook had far from his best game, he still contributed in a number of areas against his former team. The point guard missed a triple-double but still had eight points, nine rebounds and seven assists.
The lone bright spot for the Thunder was the play of rookie Tre Mann, who had a team-high 19 points as well as the biggest highlight of the night with a poster dunk on Wayne Ellington. Outside of him, it was a rough shooting performance for Oklahoma City as they shot just 22.7% (10-of-44) from three.
Up next for the Lakers
After their quick two-game road trip, the Lakers now return home to face the Orlando Magic on Sunday night. The Magic are among the worst teams in the league with a record of 5-21, so it should be a good opportunity for the Lakers to pick up another win.
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