The Los Angeles Lakers made a statement to the rest of the NBA on Sunday night with their 126-99 blowout win over the Oklahoma City Thunder.
The Lakers led by as many as 29 points in the first half and never really let up in what was one of their best all-around performances of the season on both ends of the court.
The Lakers sunk a season-high 22 3-pointers against a Thunder team that owns the best record and the No. 1 defensive rating in the league. L.A. also got things done defensively as they held Oklahoma City to less than 100 points for just the third time all season.
LeBron James said after the game that he is happy to carry the responsibility of anchoring the Lakers defense, as seen on Spectrum SportsNet:
“Obviously my voice and being able to command and let guys know what’s going on behind them. And also, just called out the keys. On the defensive end, I’m able to see a lot of plays before the plays happen because of my knowledge of the game, my knowledge of my opponents, my knowledge of the team and what they want to do. Being able to just let guys know what’s going on behind them, let them know what’s coming before it happens so we can always keep our head on a swivel, we can always be kind of one step ahead. I understand that’s my responsibility to anchor the defense, and I’m happy to do that.”
When James was out, JJ Redick pointed out how much they missed the 40-year-old’s communication on defense, so it’s definitely nice to have that back.
The Lakers held the Thunder to 43.3% shooting on their own home court, which is not an easy task considering all of the players who can score from anywhere on any given night.
Perhaps most impressive was the Lakers preventing Shai Gilgeous-Alexander from getting to the free-throw line for the first time in more than three years.
LeBron James: Lakers trying to build ‘great habits’ in final stretch
With only four games remaining on their regular-season schedule and playoff seeding still to be determined, LeBron James said the Lakers are trying to build good habits in the final stretch.
L.A. is now set to face the Thunder again on Tuesday before playing the Dallas Mavericks the following night as part of a back-to-back.
The Lakers will then conclude the regular season with a home matchup against the Houston Rockets and a road game against the Portland Trail Blazers.
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