The Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder 116-104 this morning. Mark Daigneault’s team, leaders of the Western Conference until last night’s game, succumbed to the Angelenos, who once again demonstrate that they are the most unpredictable team in the NBA.
To beat the Thunder, the Lakers needed the best version of their three best players. The two strongholds, LeBron and Davis, put together a very complete game. The one from Akron, who in the last game reached 40,000 points in the NBA, had 19 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists. For his part, La Ceja scored 24 points and 12 rebounds, which allowed him to neutralize Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who only managed 20 points (in 30 of the 45 games he has played he has exceeded 30) and Chet Holmgren, who had a game very discreet (15 7).
However, the differential factor for the Los Angeles team was D’Angelo Russell. The Lakers point guard came out with 26 points (53% on field goals and three triples that unbalanced the match). His coach, Darvin Ham, praised the Louisville player: “He has one of those moments where he can shoot however it will enter the rim. He is very talented and we need him to play like this, to be at this level,” he commented.
With this victory against the Thunder, the Angelenos, who are ninth in the Western Conference, have accumulated three victories in their last four games, data that places them only two games behind the Suns, who mark the last direct access position to the playoffs .
To do this, the Lakers need to stop being so unpredictable, since they suffer especially against the teams in the lower zone (they have lost to the Spurs or Grizzlies). However, the Angelenos have a positive balance against top-ranked franchises: 3-1 against the Thunder and Clippers, and 3-2 against the Suns. LeBron himself recognized this irregularity a few weeks ago: “Any night we can beat any NBA team, but any night any NBA team can kick our butt,” declared the one from Akron.
