After a topsy-turvy journey throughout the season, the Los Angeles Lakers presented a glimpse of what the team would look like at its full potential on Monday night. The Lakers pulled away with a 116-104 blowout win over the then-West-leading OKC Thunder, powered by D’Angelo Russell’s strong performance. However, it was their defense that took care of the business. Apart from limiting the Thunder to 39.4% shooting overall, the Lakers also ended Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s streak of eight consecutive 30-point games.

The Lakers’ defense stymied SGA’s offensive production, allowing him to convert only five of his 13 attempts from the field overall, finishing the game with 20 points, nine of which came from his flawless night from the free throw line. Earlier this year, Anthony Edwards called out Shai for getting favorable calls after he went 12-of-13 from the foul line during the Thunder’s 102-97 road win over the T-Wolves. As per Ant-Man, it is especially hard to slow down OKC due to these calls. However, the Lakers might have found the answer to this dilemma.

Reflecting on their defensive strategy to slow down SGA, D’Angelo Russell revealed, “He gets 30 on every team in the league, so for us to come in and make things tough on him was our objective… We were all on a string (defensively).” 

Their suffocating defense also stonewalled rookie Chet Holmgren, limiting his offense to only 15 points on 14 shot attempts. Jalen Williams also had a quiet night against the Lakers, only connecting two of nine from the field for seven points. The Lakers badgered OKC on the other side as well, leaving the Thunder’s young squad scrambling to contain their offensive onslaught.

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D’Angelo Russell’s late-game heroics

D’Angelo Russel had the crowd in Los Angeles flabbergasted with his fourth-quarter attack from downtown, knocking down 3-pointers on three consecutive possessions with increasing flair. He ended the night with a game-high 26 points, connecting on nine of his 17 shots from the field and five of his 11 three-pointers. D’Lo also added six rebounds, three assists, one block, and four steals across 34 minutes. However, it was the balanced offensive effort from the team that secured the win. LeBron James would have had a triple-double had their commanding lead not allowed him to sit out the final six minutes. Still, he mustered up 19 points, 11 rebounds, and eight assists to lift the team back to the ninth seed.

Anthony Davis made a significant impact on both ends with his 24 points and 12 rebounds before retiring for the day after the third quarter. Meanwhile, Austin Reaves chipped in 16 points while hitting four triples for the Lakers. This win sealed the Lakers’ 3-1 season series win over OKC.

The Lakers are now just two games behind the sixth-seeded Phoenix Suns. Therefore, if they can keep this momentum going in their last 19 games of the season, they might be able to secure a guaranteed playoff spot. Do you think the Lakers can manage to right their ship now? Let us know in the comments!

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