The Los Angeles Lakers split their last back-to-back set, with the loss to the Golden State Warriors particularly hurtful due to the standings race in the Western Conference.
These final few games will decide the playoff seedings, and the Lakers still haven’t guaranteed themselves a spot despite how well they’ve been playing. On Sunday, they took on the Oklahoma City Thunder who have already clinched the No. 1 seed in the conference and are looking to hold on to have home court for the entirety of the 2025 NBA Playoffs.
Playing the Thunder on the road was a tall task for the Lakers as the former owned the No. 1 defense heading into the matchup. However, Los Angeles caught fire from beyond the arc and that led to them blowing out Oklahoma City .
The game featured a headline of Luka Doncic versus Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, but it was the Lakers star that stole the show as his full offensive game was on full display against the Thunder. Doncic got off to a hot start, hitting several contested 3-pointers and jumpers to get Los Angeles in front early on.
From that point on, Doncic did just about anything he wanted on the floor and even looked like he was toying with his defenders at certain points. The guard had one of his most efficient shooting performances since arriving in Los Angeles, scoring 30 points to go along with seven rebounds, six assists and two steals.
Austin Reaves always seems to enjoy playing in Oklahoma due to his collegiate days, and being back near his alma mater seemed to give him an extra gear as he was effective as a scorer against the Thunder. Although Oklahoma City sent some of their best perimeter defenders against Reaves, the guard still found ways to get open and knock down shots.
Reaves has been on a tear shooting the basketball from deep, and that was no different against the Thunder as he hit four more. Overall, Reaves finished with 20 points, two rebounds and three assists.
With Doncic and Reaves carrying the offensive burden, LeBron James was able to pick his spots. James turned in an efficient offensive performance, shooting 9-of-16 from the field en route to 19 points.
What’s next for the Lakers
The Lakers will see the Thunder again on Tuesday for the first night of a back-to-back set. They’ll then see the Dallas Mavericks and old friend Anthony Davis the next night on Wednesday.
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