In the latest round of the NBA Emirates Cup this season, the Los Angeles Lakers clashed with a Western Conference juggernaut. After a hard-fought affair from both teams, it was the Thunder who came out victorious in a convincing win.
The game began as you’d expect, with the Thunder (the No. 1 team in the West) taking a narrow lead to set the tone early. After scoring 32 points in the first 12 minutes, the Thunder took a 3-point lead into halftime and set the stage for a narrow win (101-93).
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was the leading scorer for the Thunder with 36 points, 9 assists, and 6 rebounds on 7-14 shooting from the field. Jalen Williams dropped 19 points, 4 rebounds, and 2 assists in 33:58 minutes on the court. Isaiah Hartenstein stepped up in the absence of Chet Holmgren with 11 points, 18 rebounds, and 5 assists as the starting center.
For the Lakers, Dalrton Knecht was the star of the show with 20 points, 6 rebounds, and 4 assists on shooting. Anthony Davis had 15 points (5-9FG), 12 rebounds, and 4 blocks in the game while LeBron James contributed 12 points, 8 rebounds, and 6 assists on 38.5% shooting. Starting point guard Austin Reaves had 11 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 assists in 29:11 minutes.
It was the first time these two teams met this season, and it won’t be the last. But for two teams with title aspirations, it was a good test of how they stack up against each other and a hint at what’s to come in the Western Conference playoff picture. Of course, it wasn’t a great night for the Lakers, and unless they address some areas of concern, it could be a sign that this is just not their season.
Soft Play From Star Duo
The Lakers only go as far as their stars take them, but the Lakers’ star duo didn’t bring it tonight. They lacked aggression and intensity throughout the game, and fans couldn’t help but notice their lethargic play all night long.
In 30:47 minutes of play, LeBron had 12 points, 8 rebounds, and 5 turnovers on 5-12 shooting from the field. He was -8 on the floor, tied with the worst plus/minus on the team. Anthony Davis wasn’t much better with 15 points, 12 rebounds, and 4 blocks on 5-9 shooting.
LeBron showed his age tonight and Anthony Davis looked completely checked out from the opening minute. If the two superstars are going to play like this going forward, it’s going to be tough for the Lakers to make any progress in the standings.
Sloppy Turnovers Cost The Game
The Lakers are the third-best turnover team in the NBA, with just 12.7 per game, but they completely collapsed in that category tonight. As a team, the Lakers committed 17 turnovers and the Thunder were able to capitalize by racking up fast break points.
Specifically, all of the Lakers’ ball handlers struggled to take care of the ball tonight (Austin Reaves: 5 turnovers, D’Angelo Russell: 4 turnovers) and LeBron James in particular is having a brutal stretch in that aspect. He was tied for first in turnovers tonight with 5, following the Spurs’ game on Wednesday where he also had 5 turnovers.
Whether it’s difficulty running the offense or simply miscommunication between the players, something is off for the Lakers, and unless they can get the turnovers under control, they will continue to struggle against the NBA’s best teams.
Second Chance Points Saved The Thunder
The Lakers left much to be desired in terms of effort and hustle plays tonight, and it allowed the Thunder to stack up in second-chance opportunities. Simple mistakes and poor positioning cost the Lakers their advantage on the boards and allowed the Thunder to collect 15 offensive rebounds.
Coming into the game, the Lakers were already giving up the second most rebounds to centers this season, and they had no answer for Isaiah Hartenstein, who finished with 11 points and 18 rebounds in 36:52 minutes of play.
In a close game where every possession mattered, the Lakers shot themselves in the foot by losing all of the 50/50 rebounds, loose balls, and foul calls. For a team with such little depth in the frontcourt, the only solution may be to make a trade and add some more talent at the center position.
For now, there’s nothing left for the Lakers to do but take this loss and move on to the next game. They have to expect a better showing from their stars in the future, which will help avoid another disaster like tonight. While the Lakers did have a chance to win down the stretch, it was their own mistakes and failures that cost them the game in the end.
The Lakers will have tomorrow off before getting a chance to redeem themselves on Sunday against the Utah Jazz. They play at 8:00 PM EST at Delta Center before moving to Target Center the next night for a game against the Minnesota Timberwolves. On Wednesday, December 4th, the Lakers will head East side for a game against the Miami Heat at 7:30 PM EST at Kaseya Center.
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