On March 5, Beijing time, the NBA regular season ushered in a key matchup, and the Lakers hosted the Thunder. Previously, the Lakers had a record of 33 wins and 29 losses, ranking 10th in the West, and it is certain that the Jazz and Rockets behind them have withdrawn from the play-in race, and the Lakers can at least play in the play-in tournament this season. Second, the Lakers are just 25 wins, there is also the possibility of getting a straight ticket, but the first step must be to hit the eighth, at least two lives (the seventh and eighth double outs, the ninth and tenth losses will be out). Due to injuries to Wood, Carlston, Vanderbilt and others, the Lakers had to sign Giles as a backup, relying solely on thick eyebrows, and it was indeed a little tight on the defensive end. The two teams have met three times before this season, the Lakers are 2-1, and in one of the games, James exploded with 40 points, 7 rebounds and 7 assists!
James reached the 40,000-point milestone mark in the last game, but the Lakers just couldn't beat the Nuggets. However, with the current play-off situation, the Lakers have a very good chance of meeting the Thunder in the playoffs, and James is bound to give the most energy. The Thunder had 42 wins and 18 losses, with a winning rate of 70%, ranking first in the league! The team's offensive and defensive efficiency is among the top four in the league, the second in the league in shooting percentage, and the first in the league in three-point shooting rate + free throw shooting rate + scoring with turnovers! The Thunder don't look like they have much to fall short of, but their rebounding is mediocre and ranks only 26th in the league. However, according to statistics, the Thunder have won 7 of the last 9 back-to-backs, scoring an average of 130 points per game and outscoring their opponents by 187 points! Being young is the biggest advantage of the Thunder.
The Lakers' starters are: Russell + Reaves + Hachimura + James + thick eyebrows; Thunder starters: Alexander + Keady + Dort + Jewe + Holmgren. The Lakers collapsed at the beginning: Keady made an easy layup, Alexander went on a rampage, and after the thick eyebrows ate cake to stop the bleeding, Holmgren blossomed inside and out, and the Thunder played a wave of 13-2 climax. During this period, Hachimura made mistakes, Lao Zhan was striking iron, Reeves was fouling, Russell was hatted, and his performance was too sluggish. James assisted on the thick eyebrows to stop the Thunder, and Dort and Keady continued to widen the difference. But in the second half, the Lakers suddenly made a force: Hachimura + Rivers + Prince made 4 consecutive three-pointers, Dinwiddie hat Alexander + breakthrough throwing to tie the score! At the end of the quarter, the thick eyebrows continued to kill, and the two teams fought to a 25-all tie in the first quarter!
At the beginning of the second quarter, James led Prince and Hayes to score consecutive points, Russell made an easy layup + Lao Zhan threw himself and grabbed it, and the Lakers overtook the Thunder by 10 points! In the middle of the period, Dort hit two three-pointers in a row, and Reaves and Dinwiddie also missed one after another, and their intention to find the basket was too obvious, waiting to be cut off by the Thunder. In the second half, James hurried back, thick eyebrows caught the flying dunk, James counterattacked and made a layup, and the Lakers widened the gap again. Until the end of the quarter, Alexander's tough three-point shot finally stopped the bleeding, Lao Zhan received the ball and made a tough layup 2+1, and the Lakers led the Thunder 52-43 at halftime. In the first half, Alexander had 11 points and 4 assists, Keady had 10 points, and Dort had 12 points; On the Lakers' side, Russell and Reaves both scored 10 points, and thick eyebrows and Lao Zhan both scored 9 points, but the Lakers had 12 turnovers in the half!
Coming back in the second half, Reaves forced a three-point shot, Alexander's signature jumper scored, Dort and Jewee rained three-pointers, and Holmgren blossomed inside and out, and the Thunder chased all the way to only 2 points! At the critical moment, the Lakers exploded on the outside: Reaves fed Russell three points, and then Reaves received the ball and shot, after the thick eyebrows made up for the dunk, James also fired at a 45-degree angle, and then the thick eyebrows Lao Zhan took turns to kill, and Russell scored an easy layup. The Lakers went on a 19-4 run to open up a 17-point deficit. Although Alexander scored consecutive jumpers at the end of the quarter, thick eyebrows made foul free throws and rebounded to ensure the Lakers' huge lead. At the end of the third quarter, the Lakers led the Thunder 89-72.
In the fourth quarter of the decisive battle, James fed Prince three points, and then James shook off Holmgren to finish, Russell hit three three-pointers in a row, completely igniting the Lakers home fans, James smiled, and the difference has reached 24 points! After that, Prince also continued to make three-pointers, and the Thunder continued to make mistakes, and the game lost suspense in the last 5 minutes and went into garbage time. In the end, the Lakers defeated the Thunder 116-104, and after this game, the Lakers returned to ninth in the West, only one win away from the eighth Mavericks!
Thunder statistics, Alexander 20 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists and 4 steals, Holmgren 15 points and 7 rebounds, Keady 13 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists, Dort 15 points and 2 rebounds, Wiggins 12 points. Lakers statistics, Russell 26 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists and 4 steals, James 19 points, 11 rebounds and 8 assists, Davis 24 points, 12 rebounds and 4 assists, Reaves 16 points, 6 rebounds and 7 assists, Prince 14 points and 6 rebounds.
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