Luka Doncic and Lakers dominate in win over | College News

OKLAHOMA CITY — The postseason highway the Lakers need to take in all probability will roll by way of Oklahoma City in some unspecified time in the future, the unquestioned best staff in the Western Conference having performed its method to the highest with a degree of all-around excellence hardly ever seen.

And the Lakers, heading into the ultimate week of the common season, have both the nice fortune or the curse of having to check themselves towards the staff with the NBA’s best report.

At the worst, the video games towards the Thunder might expose the Lakers’ weaknesses. Oklahoma City is youthful and hungrier with more dimension on the rim, capitalizing on benefits the Lakers will battle to beat.

But when the Lakers are at their best — and whoa, they have been actually at their best Sunday — they’ll show to everybody, particularly themselves, that their mixture of otherworldly particular person offensive expertise and versatile, scrambling protection can maintain down even essentially the most proficient of groups.

From early red-hot taking pictures to full-game focus, the Lakers stamped themselves as full-fledged contenders in the West by dominating the Thunder 126-99 in an all-caps, bold-lettered assertion win.

“We know it’s the final stretch into the full season, so we’re just trying to rack up great habits,” LeBron James stated.

That, plus great gamers, is a confirmed mixture.

Luka Doncic, who knocked the Thunder out of the postseason final season on the best way to the NBA Finals, went deep into his bag of expertise, spinning round defenders, firing passes over his head and stepping back and splashing over the Thunder’s league-best protection.

He scored 30 factors and had six assists, however more importantly, he helped puncture Oklahoma City’s smothering perimeter protection.

“Luka was spectacular,” James stated.

Austin Reaves, who has cemented himself as one of the Lakers’ most important gamers alongside Doncic and LeBron James, opened one other recreation scorching from three-point vary whereas doing admirable work on MVP front-runner Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Reaves scored 20 and Gilgeous-Alexander had 26 factors, however hardly ever have been any of his buckets simple.

And James, who has regained some of his defensive type coming off a groin damage, scored 19 factors however more importantly helped manage the Lakers towards the Thunder’s stellar supporting solid, together with 7-foot-1 Chet Holmgren, who scored solely 10 factors.

The Lakers (48-30) answered the most important questions in negating one of the Thunder’s largest strengths. The Lakers fought for free balls, they prolonged possessions on the offensive glass and they restricted their errors.

And when the Thunder (64-14) pushed, and they did, Dorian Finney-Smith or Gabe Vincent helped extinguish the spark rapidly.

Like they did in a blowout win in Denver earlier this season, the Lakers confirmed that once they play their best, different groups will need to be on the prime of their recreation to stop them. Against the Thunder, the Lakers took control by scoring 42 factors in the primary quarter and led by at the very least 10 factors the remainder of the best way.

“Very committed to what we were trying to do defensively and very committed to where we felt like we could generate good shots offensively against a terrific defense,” Lakers coach JJ Redick stated. “And there wasn’t any letup to that. There weren’t any overreactions.”

Since the Doncic commerce, the Lakers have earned wins towards the Nuggets, Rockets and Thunder, turning in sturdy defensive performances in every. And the Lakers shot the ball extremely nicely Sunday — they made a season-high 22 three-pointers — as different components of their recreation plan additionally fell into place.

“We know that they’re very good when it comes to one, getting into the paint, attracting a lot,” James stated. “They do a great job of getting [to] the free-throw line. They do a great job of getting offensive rebounds at second-chance points and those are some of the controllables that you control.”

The Lakers stored the Thunder off the glass, outrebounding them by 9. The Lakers scored 10 more second-chance factors, and once they grabbed control of the sport, they didn’t relinquish it. And Oklahoma City solely shot 12 free throws, with Gilgeous-Alexander trying none for the primary time since Dec. 18, 2021.

The Lakers now have the chance to attempt and do it again Tuesday, although they’ve been a little cagey about their plans for handling the sport contemplating they’ll play again Wednesday in Doncic’s first recreation back in Dallas.

“Nothing set in stone,” Redick stated for the Lakers’ plans Tuesday. “Again, this is all day to day.”

And Sunday, it was a good one.