LOS ANGELES — D’Angelo Russell made five 3-pointers while scoring 26 points, and Anthony Davis added 24 points and 12 rebounds in the Los Angeles Lakers’ 116-104 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Monday evening.
LeBron James had 19 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists in the Lakers’ 10th victory in 14 games. Austin Reaves added 16 points while hitting four 3s for the Lakers, who won their third straight meeting with the Western Conference-leading Thunder to clinch the season series.
“They’re so well trained you can’t relax,” Russell said. “This team has everything it needs to win and be effective at this level. You have to be ready to play against these guys. It’s not a coincidence (to beat them).
In his first game since scoring his 40,000th career point in a loss to Denver, James nearly had a triple-double before the Lakers’ big lead allowed him to miss the final six minutes. Davis was able to sit out the entire fourth quarter when the Lakers made six 3-pointers in quick succession during his absence, increasing their lead to 25 points.
Russell punctuated the Lakers’ decisive rally by scoring 3-pointers on three consecutive possessions with increasing theatrics.
“My teammates find me when I’m hot,” Russell said. “It’s easier when I can stretch the floor like this. That’s what shooting is for. It’s a pleasure.”
Russell passed to James before his third 3-pointer with 9:06 leftbut James returned the ball to him for a shot that left Russell sprawled on his back following an uncalled defensive contact, giving the Lakers a 103-79 lead and earning a standing ovation.
“I didn’t know I made the shot,” Russell said. “I just kind of threw it up there. Lucky shot.”
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 20 points – ending his eight-game 30-point streak – for the Thunder, who lost for only the second time in nine games. Lu Dort and Chet Holmgren added 15 points each.
“Our start was good offensively, but our overall sharpness just wasn’t there,” Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said. “Defensively, we turned them over a few times, and that kept us going. But definitely not our fastball tonight. … I just didn’t think we were as accurate offensively as we should have been. A team like that that has size and physicality, that’s a necessary condition to make shots against them, but we just didn’t do it enough.
Oklahoma City made a season-high 30.6 percent of its shots in the first half while playing with possibly tired legs in the third leg of a four-game road trip that included a grueling win at Phoenix on Sunday .
“Obviously, they’re coming off a tough time,” Reaves said. “But any time you can beat a team with confidence going into the fourth game of this caliber, it’s a testament to what you’ve done offensively and defensively. … Anytime you beat a team like that that’s playing really good basketball, it feels good and it gives you momentum moving forward.
Both teams were not in top form in the first half. The Thunder jumped out to an early 12-point lead, but then fell into a 2-of-21 shooting slump that allowed the Lakers to take a double-digit lead despite 12 turnovers.
Oklahoma City big man Jaylin Williams missed his second straight game with a sprained left knee. Mike Muscala made his first appearance since returning to the Thunder from Detroit, scoring five points in 11 minutes.
Harry Giles III made his Lakers debut in the final minutes.
FOLLOWING
Thunder: at Portland on Wednesday.
Lakers: Host Sacramento on Wednesday.
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