Dave McMenamin, ESPN Staff Writer December 24, 2023, 12:56 a.m. ET
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- Lakers and NBA reporter for ESPN.
- He covered the Lakers and NBA for ESPNLosAngeles.com from 2009 to 2014, the Cavaliers for ESPN.com from 2014 to 2018, and the NBA for NBA.com from 2005 to 2009.
OKLAHOMA CITY — After the Lakers' once 26-point lead was cut to 10 in the final minutes on Saturday, LeBron James scored 11 straight points for LA. The spurt increased his point total to a season-best 40 points and gave the Lakers one of their best point wins of the season, 129-120 against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Coming into the night on a four-game losing streak and tweaking the starting lineup before the start, he looked like a shell of the team that had gone 7-0 in recent weeks en route to this season's tournament championship Lakers fulfilled the “must win” directive given by Anthony Davis for the game earlier in the week.
James, a week shy of his 39th birthday, became the first player to reach the 40-point mark in his 21st season.
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“We needed this win,” James said. “We didn’t want to end the road trip with a loss. … Coming here to play against a team that has played extremely well this season was a big win for us.”
The Thunder, owners of the No. 3 record in the Western Conference, were slowed by the Lakers' revamped starting lineup, which replaced point guard D'Angelo Russell with forward Jarred Vanderbilt – giving LA a big, switchable front line to put pressure on the defense.
LA broke through in the second quarter, outscoring Oklahoma City 35-20, while holding the Thunder to 36.4% shooting in the period.
“Just having that size and physicality out there,” Lakers coach Darvin Ham said of the effectiveness of the first unit. “Being able to switch on pick-and-rolls, basically 1-5, was really, really, really good.”
The Lakers offense was also really good.
Beyond James' standout night – he was 13 of 20 from the field, including 5 of 5 from 3 and 9 of 9 from the free throw line – Davis (26 points) and Rui Hachimura (21 points) also performed outstandingly.
The Lakers finished the season with a season-high 37 assists, with six players in double figures, including Russell, who scored 15 points in 18 minutes in his first appearance as a substitute.
“The result was a win, so to me that’s all that matters,” Russell said. “So I just find a way to impact the win and have energy whenever I’m on the floor.”
The team acknowledged the focused approach it took to the Thunder game, from Davis' challenge after Thursday's loss to Minnesota to Saturday morning's shootaround.
“We were so involved in the shooting this morning,” Hachimura said. “We have to keep going. We just have to find a rhythm, and the next one is also big, the Christmas game against the Celtics.”
However, focusing on the Christmas game against Boston can wait a day. James and his team deserved a day off on Sunday.
“All I care about is tomorrow’s day off,” James said. “I don’t give a shit about Monday. The only thing I care about right now on Monday is my daughter waking up and opening her presents. That's all. Please don't even talk to me about Christmas Day. Christmas Eve is what.” I’m looking forward to it. I'm ready to get my ass on this couch.