Lakers find new energy in win over Thunder on MLK Day
The Lakers bounced back in the win column thanks to 52 points combined from LeBron and Anthony Davis, who sparked a noticeable new energy in their 112–105 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Martin Luther King Jr.
The Lakers’ home win snaps a two-game skid and moves them to 20–21 and 14–7 at Crypto.com Arena.
With a knotted-up score at 50 going into the half, the Lakers went on to outscore Oklahoma City 62-55 in the second half and held them to 41% total shooting from the field on 96 attempts. This was led by a new sense of purpose and urgency from a familiar starting lineup.
Head coach Darvin Ham went with a space-friendly lineup they had to start the season, with D’Angelo Russell and Austin Reaves leading the backcourt, Taurean Prince at the three, and the Lakers' big two in the frontcourt.
“Wanted to put as much skill and shot-making on the floor around our two captains,” Ham said on the starting unit. “Those five, they've been our most consistent guys throughout the season.”
Ham mentioned that this lineup would remain the same for the “foreseeable future,” barring any injuries.
The starting rotation displayed a nice balance to the Lakers offense and defense, with Davis controlling the paint while Russell and Reaves provided solid space on the outside.
This lineup is 3–3 in six games starting together this season.
Toward the end of the third quarter, Davis gave Thunder’s rookie shot-blocker Chet Holmgren a posterizing dunk with a ferocious two-handed flush on the 21-year-old who tried to get the block.
“Just gotta play like we played tonight. We competed; we shared the basketball,” Davis said. “Just gotta keep on going. We got a couple more games at home and we just gotta take advantage of it.”
Davis’ high-effort night led to a 27-point and 15-rebound performance while holding Holmgren to nine points.
LeBron started off slow with eight first-half points but propelled the Lakers in the second half with an 18-point outing, totaling 25 points on the night.
“AD is always our focus offensively, getting him going early and often, and defensively, we have to be on a string and help one another,” LeBron said. “We have to help AD rebound. When we do that, we can be a pretty good five-man lineup.”
LeBron added seven rebounds and six assists while shooting 60% from the floor on 12-of-20.
The energy was emphasized in the paint, with 64 points inside on 52.4% (44-for-84), finishing from the field with six players scoring in double figures, with four coming from the starters and two coming from the bench.
Reaves shot an efficient 60% from the field on 6-for-10 with 15 points and seven assits. Russell had a similar production for the Laker's offense, with 14 points, six assists, two steals, and a block in 35 minutes.
Rui Hachimura and Christian Wood supplied a strong burst from the bench, continuing a high-effort trend throughout the night. Hachimura finished with 12 points and two blocks, while Wood finished with 11 points, seven rebounds, and three blocks.
The Lakers held one of the NBA’s lethal scorers in Shai Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who is third in the league in scoring at 31.3 points per game, to just 24 points, going one-for-six from three.
“We didn't want to show them [Thunder] the same pitch tonight and that allowed us to keep them a little off balance offensively, but they're still a very good team,” LeBron said.
The Lakers remain at home in their next scheduled game on Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. against the 24-17 Dallas Mavericks.
