In a match-up missing two of the league’s best players, the Lakers fought valiantly against the Thunder before coming up short, falling 119-110.
After trailing by nine at the break, the Lakers, uncharacteristically,
used a strong third quarter to get back into the game. However, Alex Caruso and Jalen Williams, returning from a 10-game absence due to injury, led OKC down the stretch to secure the win.
LA started the game well offensively, shooting 44% from the field. Everyone in the starting five scored. Isaiah Hartenstein and Cason Wallace were leading the Thunder with six points each.
The Lakers did play sloppily at times, committing three turnovers already leading to a tied game at the 4:14 mark.
Luke Kennard drained his first 3-pointer of the night. Austin Reaves scored five in a row, keeping LA steady with Oklahoma City. Isaiah Joe gave the Thunder a huge boost off the bench, knocking down three 3-pointers in the quarter.
OKC went on a 7-0 scoring run that was halted with a layup by Jaxson Hayes. Reaves ended the quarter with a dunk that made it a one-point deficit going into the second.
Newest Thunder Jared McCain started the second with a quick five points. Neither team had been able to build a big lead until OKC went on a 9-2 scoring run to go up by seven. Joe was now at 13 points off the bench for Oklahoma City.
At the 7:54 mark, the Lakers still had no player in double figures.
LA had called a timeout to restore order, but out of that break, they turned the ball over, leading to a dunk by Chet Holmgren on the other end. The Lakers now had eight turnovers in the half.
OKC unleashed an onslaught the purple and gold with a 14-0 run.
Marcus Smart gave the team some life by converting on a three-point play to halt the run. Reaves also knocked down his first triple of the game.
LeBron James went down the lane and hammed it on Holmgren, giving fans something to roar over. Los Angeles kept the deficit in single digits at nine going into halftime.
Jalen Williams started the third period with a reverse layup. Hachimura countered with a 3-pointer. The Lakers started another scoring run and cut the deficit to three. Smart and LaRavia knocked down triples that helped keep LA’s momentum going. The Lakers took the lead at the 7:24 mark.
Twenty-one of the first 29 points in the quarter came from LeBron and LaRavia.
With 4:11 left in the third, OKC had only put up 15 points. LeBron was now up to 18 points after ending the first half with eight points. Jaylin Williams was a spark and momentum shifter for the Thunder off the bench with eight points, six of which came from triples.
OKC regained the lead by one with 1:57 left.
It was a tight battle between the teams as time was winding down. Los Angeles had retaken the lead by one, but a 3-pointer by former Laker Alex Caruso put the Thunder up by two going into the fourth period.
Smart drained a 3-pointer to start the final frame for LA. Caruso scored five in a row to put OKC back in the lead. Smart responded with another triple of his own. The Lakers were battling hard and answering each Oklahoma attempt to regain momentum.
With 8:07 left, the Thunder were up by one.
Each team took turns with the lead back and forth. They were also doing quite a bit of cardio as they missed shots. LaRavia missed a few attempts from behind the arc, stopping any sort of momentum LA had.
Williams scored on a layup to stop the bleeding of both teams. OKC then put some cushion on their lead, going up by five. Trailing by eight with under three minutes left, the Lakers went on a 7-2 run with baskets from Hachimura, Smart and LeBron to cut the deficit to three.
The two sides traded baskets, though, with Chet Holmgren and Williams scoring on either side of a Rui layup to keep OKC up five.
An empty possession from the Lakers was the nail in the coffin as the Thunder iced the game away at the free throw line.
Key Player Stats
Reaves finished with 16 points and seven assists. LeBron ended with 22 points, six rebounds and 10 assists. Smart pitched in with 19 points on 4-7 shooting from three.
Deandre Ayton notched six points and 10 rebounds. Kennard had seven points, shooting 60% from the field. Jaxson Hayes had 12 points with four rebounds.
Hachimura scored 12 points with five rebounds. LaRavia ended with 14 points and four rebounds.
The Lakers’ next matchup will be against the San Antonio Spurs on Tuesday at 7:30 PM PT.
You can follow Karin on Twitter at @KarinAbcarians.
