A race that marks the alternation of eras.
A few days ago, the regular season was in the depths, and the strength and state of each team were clear. The Lakers, the old powerhouse in the West, continue to teeter on the brink of the playoffs, with ups and downs;And the rookies-filled Thunder fought their way out and became the favorite for the dark horse to hit the top half of the seed.
On December 2, the Lakers visited Oklahoma City and ushered in the last game of the four-game road trip, which was also a back-to-back game with the Thunder. The Thunder, the fourth-place potential stock in the West, has performed strongly this season, ranking in the top 10 on both ends of the floor, especially in terms of three-point shooting and defensive efficiency. In the face of such a solid copper wall, the Lakers have no margin for error if they want to win, not to mention that their three-point shooting percentage is the lowest in the league.
At the beginning, the Lakers felt hot, scoring 37 points in the first quarter, and the newly signed Davis contributed 15 points and 5 rebounds, covering the sky at the center positionJames' old partner Russell also had nine points and four assists, and the two combined to lead the Lakers to a seven-point lead. However, the good times did not last long, and the Lakers fell into a slump in the second quarter, and James and Russell only scored 28 points as much as they could. In stark contrast, the new stars of the Thunder are bursting into dazzling light!Jalen Williams and Alexander have successively performed highlights, and the three-point position made the Lakers powerless, scoring 42 points in a single quarter. In just one quarter, the Thunder took a comeback and stretched the advantage to 12 points.
Although the Lakers once narrowed the gap to 15 points through James' leadership, it was difficult to resist the Thunder's new star attack. Alexander scored another nine points, and veteran Holmgren also sent 10 points to hit the Lakers' confidence. In the end, the Thunder defeated the Lakers with an overwhelming score of 133-110, bringing the game that marked the transition of the old and the new to a successful conclusion.
James's old man is determined to be a new star for thousands of miles, and the era of new stars has come.
When the Thunder's rising stars took over the command and put an end to this era-changing battle, Lakers James still maintained a game-high 21 points, 12 rebounds and 6 assists on 7-of-12 shooting and 4-of-8 three-point shooting. As the leading scorer and assist leader in the regular season, he once again proved his all-round strength in this game.
However, times have changed, and the momentum of rising stars is unstoppable. The real protagonist of this game is none other than Alexander, who shot 11 of 18 and 10 of 10 free throws, and scored 33 points, 4 rebounds and 7 assists alone. Indeed, Alexander is growing at an incredible pace, leading the Thunder to the skies while also giving hope to a new king of the league.
In addition to Alexander, the Thunder also had a double-double of Jalen contributing 21 points, Holmgren 18 points, and Keady 14 points and 8 rebounds. With so many scoring points blossoming, the Lakers only had James and Davis score double-doubles. Behind this is the huge gap in the depth of the teams between the two sides.
The Lakers have a long way to go if they want to return to the top.
After three years, the Lakers once again missed the playoffs for three consecutive seasons. The aura of the team's veteran drivers has long faded, and there is still a long way to go to rekindle hope and reorganize the mountains and rivers. And the upstart Thunder in the West is in full swing and has the potential to start an era of their dominance.
After this battle of signs of the turn of the era, we seem to have seen the dawn of the new king of the alliance. Let's wait and see what belongs to the new stars!