Can LA Lakers muffle OKC Thunder for second time in three days?
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Luka Doncic of the Los Angeles Lakers drives to the basket during the first quarter at Paycom Centre.
PHOTO: AFP
OKLAHOMA CITY – The Los Angeles Lakers showed just how dangerous their “Big Three” can be in last weekend’s road win over the Oklahoma City Thunder, the team with the National Basketball Association’s (NBA) best record.
The Lakers (48-30) can reinforce that impression on April 8 (April 9, Singapore time) when they run it back against the Thunder again in Oklahoma City.
“All three of those guys that we have are elite offensive players. You can try your best night to night to figure out where the weak points are and where you can create an advantage,” Lakers coach J.J. Redick said of Luka Doncic, LeBron James and Austin Reaves.
In the 126-99 win on April 6, Doncic and Reaves combined for nine of Los Angeles’ season-high 22 three-pointers.
“With the adding of Luka and the subtract of Anthony (Davis), their attack becomes more perimeter and less interior,” Oklahoma guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander said.
Thunder coach Mark Daigneault, meanwhile, said there is a balancing act in not putting too much stock into the previous matchup while also trying to learn something from it.
Oklahoma City (64-14) clinched the top seed in the Western Conference nearly three weeks ago and, although they won their next seven games to extend their winning streak to 11, they have dropped back-to-back games for the second time this season. They lost to the Rockets in Houston before the defeat by the Lakers.
“If you leave someone alone in the gym, they usually don’t shoot that well from three. So there’s a shot-making element (that the Lakers have in game). But I also think there’s a focus element that we were lacking,” Daigneault said.
Forward Jalen Williams said the Thunder just need to keep doing what they have done all season and not overreact to the last two games.
“I don’t think it’s lost. I don’t know about ‘find it again’ but it’s not lost. Think it’s just more trying to figure out what we want to do and not panic,” he said.
With one more win, the Thunder would set the single-season franchise record for victories – surpassing the 1995-96 team who went 64-18 when the franchise was in Seattle. While the Thunder can look forward to the post-season, Los Angeles still have plenty to play for in the regular season.
The Lakers come into the game in third place in the Western Conference, 3½ games behind second-placed Houston and 1½ games ahead of the fourth-placed Denver Nuggets with four games remaining. They can finish as high as second and as low as eighth.
Doncic said the play-off-like environment in Oklahoma City combined with the competitive race in the Western Conference helped sharpen his focus.
“It’s very tough to play here,” he said. “It’s very tough to win, but looking at the standings today, it’s crazy in the West. It brings the competitive spirit out of me.”
Meanwhile, in NBA action on April 7, Kel’el Ware’s 19 points and career-high 17 rebounds helped lead the Miami Heat to a 117-105 home victory over the slumping Philadelphia 76ers, who lost their 12th straight game.
Miami (36-43) rebounded from a two-game skid and moved within a half-game of the ninth-placed Chicago Bulls in the Eastern Conference play-in race. REUTERS
