On Saturday in Oklahoma City, LeBron James led the Los Angeles Lakers to a 129-120 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder with forty points, seven rebounds, and seven assists.
The defeat put an end to a three-game winning stretch for the Thunder.
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Faced with a “must-win” contest described by Anthony Davis and his squad having lost four consecutive games, Lakers head coach Darvin Ham attempted to infuse some energy into his squad by rearranging the starting lineup.
Jarred Vanderbilt was started by Ham, while D’Angelo Russell was moved to the bench.
Russell had not made a regular season appearance since the latter part of the 2020-21 campaign.
Russell did make his Lakers reserve debut in Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals loss to Denver last season.
The Lakers took a 12-point advantage at the break after scoring 71 points in the first half, thanks to Ham’s strategic maneuver.
Russell was especially effective in the second quarter, establishing a 13-3 Los Angeles lead and scoring eight consecutive Lakers points to begin the period.
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Russell finished the quarter with 12 points on 4-of-5 shooting from the field.
Russell was by no means the only Laker to experience a surge in performance during the second quarter; Los Angeles attempted 63.6 percent from the floor.
Additionally, the return of James, who was sidelined Thursday against Minnesota with ankle tendinitis, to the lineup proved beneficial.
The Lakers’ offensive output continued to soar in the third quarter, accumulating an additional 36 points to extend their lead to 26.
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Each James player and Davis player tallied ten points in the third.
However, the Oklahoma City Thunder persisted, as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander accumulated 15 of the team’s 32 third-quarter points.
A layup by Chet Holmgren with less than six minutes remaining in the contest helped the Thunder reduce the deficit to eight and cap a 15-6 Oklahoma City run.
With eleven points in the following 3:30, James prevented the Thunder from gaining any closer.
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Davis contributed to the victory with 26 points, 11 rebounds, and seven assists, whereas Rui Hachimura contributed 21 points in his absence.
The Lakers made 16 of 32 from beyond the arc for the game.
With 34 points, Gilgeous-Alexander led Oklahoma City. Jalen Williams tallied 28 points, whereas Holmgren contributed 10 rebounds and 19 points.