In the eyes of Lakers coach JJ Redick, every team his group faces is a test. Still, many wondered if the Lakers’ litmus test would come from facing the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder on Monday night.
Even with All-Star and league most valuable player Shai Gilgeous-Alexander out with a strained abdominal, the Thunder are still a problem for most of the league. And the Lakers had to play OKC with their own MVP candidate, Luka Doncic, sitting out for the second straight game with a left hamstring strain.
In the end, the Thunder had seven players score in double figures and pulled out a 119-110 win over the Lakers at Crypto.com Arena.
The Lakers (32-19) had six players score in double figures, but it wasn’t enough.
LeBron James had 22 points, 10 assists and six rebounds, Marcus Smart had 19 points, Austin Reaves 16 off the bench, Jake LaRavia 14 and Rui Hachimura and Jaxon Hayes both had 12 points.
Reaves gave the Lakers a 99-98 lead on a drive to the basket in the fourth quarter.
But the Thunder just kept coming back, taking a 109-101 lead by outscoring the Lakers 11-2.
The Lakers, too, kept fighting back, getting to within 113-110 on a Hachimura basket.
But Jalen Williams, who had 23 points in his return to the lineup, kept scoring for the Thunder, making a field goal, two free throws with 35.9 seconds left and two more with 20.9 seconds left that sealed the game.
Reaves provided the fans with a big-time highlight, driving down the lane and throwing down a two-handed dunk on Jaylin Williams and Aaron Wiggins to end the first quarter.
The Lakers had 20 turnovers the last time they played at Oklahoma City in a game L.A. got down by as much as 37 points before losing by 29.
So, one point of emphasis for the Lakers was taking care of the basketball and then playing a high level of basketball despite the opponent.
“For our group, it felt like it’s good to see where we’re at every single night,” Redick said.
His team spent the entire first half climbing out of a hole.
The Lakers were down by just one at the end of the first quarter, but quickly got down 52-38 early in the second quarter.
But behind a James dunk over Chet Holmgren, the Lakers got to within two points in the second, drawing cheers from the fans.
But the Lakers couldn’t keep up that momentum, going down 67-58 at the half.
Then in the third quarter, the Lakers got rolling and opened an eight-point lead behind a strong defense and good offense.
But again, the Thunder didn’t stop playing hard, coming back to open a 93-91 lead at the end of the third quarter on an Alex Caruso three-pointer.
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