LeBron James scored 25 and Anthony Davis tallied 27 as the Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder 112-105 on Monday night, snapping the Thunder’s four-game winning streak.
The Lakers held off the Thunder in the fourth quarter on D’Angelo Russell’s 14 points and seven assists for their sixth victory in 18 games; two of those victories came against Oklahoma City.
James stated, “When we have high-assist games in which guys feel in a rhythm, it’s a pretty good game for us.” “We must make an effort to approach this in a more consistent manner.”
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who was sidelined with a right knee sprain, contributed 16 of his 24 points in the first half for Oklahoma City, which had its lowest offensive output in 19 games since December 6. In their last 16 games, the Thunder have suffered two of their four defeats at the hands of the Lakers.
Chet Holmgren and Josh Giddey both struggled offensively with a combined 17 points for the Thunder, who launched a crucial four-game stretch against some of the West’s other elite teams. Jalen Williams recorded 25 points. On its road journey, Oklahoma City will also face the conference-leading Timberwolves and the Clippers.
“I believed (the Lakers) had a solid strategy,” said Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault. They performed exceptionally well in terms of game strategy and implementation. They earned their victory. Our shooting from the ball was subpar. We were unable to establish a strong offensive cadence. We contributed to a portion of that and they contributed to the other portion, so while it was not our strongest performance, it was undoubtedly an experience from which we could grow.
After making his return from his fourth injury-related absence of the season, James contributed 17 points in the second half. At 8:53 into the game, his driving layup gave Los Angeles its initial double-digit advantage, 93-82.
With 2:05 remaining, Gilgeous-Alexander’s basket brought the Thunder within six points, but James advanced the lane and threw to Davis for a two-handed slam that effectively sealed the victory with fifty seconds remaining.
Davis stated, “That’s five years of playing together.” LeBron is an exceptional distributor. Simply put, we have that connection… We invested a great deal of time, energy, blood, and perspiration into the game in order to establish that connection.”
Davis stated last weekend that this six-game schedule will be crucial to the Lakers’ playoff aspirations as they enter a two-week period during which they will not be required to travel outside of Los Angeles. Since winning the inaugural In-Season Tournament in early December, they have struggled to surmount a string of injuries and produce consistent tertiary scoring around James and Davis.
“I believe the push begins with us making that defensive effort,” Davis stated. “We demonstrate what we can do defensively on the floor, and we tend to win those games when we are defensive-minded.”
Due to knee edema, Cam Reddish was unable to play, and the Lakers reverted to a starting backcourt consisting of 15-point scorer Austin Reaves and Russell.
The aggressiveness of Davis and the early foul trouble of Holmgren both contributed to the Lakers’ 64-44 advantage on points in the paint.
“The Lakers possess athleticism and size in every aspect of the game,” Holmgren stated. “They will bring the intensity, so in return for their blows, you must deliver your own. Should you fail to prevent them, they will attempt to strike you.
The game was attended by NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, one day prior to a news conference that was to take place at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, which is currently under construction and may serve as the venue for the 2026 NBA All-Star weekend. The game took place at the Clippers’ facility.
