Thunderstruck: OKC Routs Lakers

Final Score: OKC 105 LAL 86 [L] (51-16)

I'm just going to run through this game really quickly. The Thunder stormed on the Lakers this game and never looked back in a wire-to-wire 105-86 game.

I didn't pay too much attention to the game. At this point, the Lakers had nothing to play for after clinching the #1 seed in the West. They can throw in the rest of the seeding games. But, they were flat tonight. Only three players were in double figures. Too many fouls. They shot 5-30 from three point land. I'm not worried about this loss. But, the effort was brutal on both ends of the floor. OKC easily dictated the pace of the game. They didn't allow the Lakers to run the floor to get the offense going. They were the more physical team and a team with a bigger sense of urgency for playoff positioning.

Overall, not much to say. Lakers have nothing to lose at this point. But, this should be a time to "sharpen the blade" a bit come playoff time. Teams had a long layoff before the restart and we're seeing some players take a long time trying to find their rhythm back. Teams shouldn't completely go on cruise control. This doesn't mean asking for wins, but we need to see signs of readiness as we draw closer to the postseason. We can hope for a better effort tomorrow against the Rockets. You can bet the Lakers will likely see them again in the 2nd round. I'll see you guys again tomorrow.

Lakers Thrash Westbrook-less, Melo-less Thunder

Welcome in to the full recap of the Lakers' Thursday night matchup vs. the Oklahoma City where the Lakers took full advantage of Russell Westbrook and Carmelo Anthony's absence, beating down the Thunder 81-106.

This recent win against the Thunder is not too much of an attention grabber like the last time these two teams played in OKC. But with all the hoopla before the trade deadline today, the Lakers came out just fine despite being short handed as well. This game was basically Paul George vs. the Lakers. He put on a showing in the first half and got some cheers at introduction. L.A. gave him love tonight. Somehow, the NBA will fine Magic and the Lakers $50K again for tampering. But going back, no Clarkson, no Nance, no problem. The Lakers still played their brand of basketball with a little wrinkle with the way the three-point game went tonight.

(+)

Three-point shooting. The Lakers connected on 30% of their shots from 3-point land. It's not an eye-opening stat, but for the last three quarters, they were on target. At one point in the 2nd quarter, the Lakers were 6/9 from deep. Brandon Ingram hit three 3's. KCP also connected on three 3's. B.I., KCP, Hart, and Kuz accounted for a majority of the Lakers' shots from deep.

Julius Randle, 17 points, 8-16 shooting. I was a little concerned about how Randle would play considering the deadline passed. But clearly, he has that max contract still in his head in a contract year, which is a good thing. The Thunder did not have the man power to match this man beast in the paint. Randle had his way with the bully ball tonight.

Brandon Ingram, 19 points, 6 assists, 7-11 shooting, 3-4 three pointers. Not only is Ingram doing a fantastic job balancing the aggressiveness in scoring and facilitating, but he's getting more confident with his 3-point shooting. He had a minor hiccup with the airball somewhere in the 4th quarter. But, other than that, Ingram still had a solid, efficient game.

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, 20 points, 7 rebounds, 7-10 shooting. KCP had to step up as a scorer  considering how short-handed this Laker team is with Clarkson and Nance no longer on the squad and playing alongside Josh Hart. He delivered tonight.

Kyle Kuzma, 16 points, 9 rebounds, 1 steal, 2 blocks. Say hello to the new sixth man until Isaiah Thomas touches down in LA. Kuzma was projected to carry a heavy load with the 2nd unit. Turned out to not be a problem as he still showed off the scoring prowess. He also displayed a solid showing on the defensive end too. That's the knack on his game currently and for a small sample size, he displayed his defensive ability with a couple of blocks and a steal.

(-)

Not a lot of negatives to point out. Probably a few minor ones, but a sound victory like this completely masks them.

MVP

Kyle Kuzma, 16 points, 9 rebounds, 1 steal, 2 blocks

Kuzma is slowly getting back to form in these last two games. As I said, Clarkson and Nance are not there to provide the instant spark for the 2nd unit, so it was all up to Kuz. It was a not a problem offensively. He showed some potential too on the defensive end with the one steal and the pair of blocks.



Conclusion

The Lakers continue their upward trend and it's impressive to see this young continuing the winning ways despite losing a few fan-favorite young pieces. You gotta wonder, after this game, does Paul George want to stick around with OKC after the Lakers notched two consecutive games against the Thunder? This is an eye-opener that without their OK3 at full strength, the Thunder lack depth. And like last game, this makes Paul George's free agency a lot more challenging. We'll see what happens in the offeseason. But back to this game, Lakers get their eighth straight game at home and fourth win in a row. Again, I'll hold back on my hopes that the Lakers will make the playoffs, but the upward trend and their recent veteran additions will continue to heat up the talk. It's going to be interesting to see Isaiah Thomas and Channing Frye debut for the purple and gold possibly on Saturday against the Mavs, especially IT. Reggie Miller said it best, IT is going to have to sacrifice a bit to integrate himself into the system that emphasizes on sharing the ball. The "King in the Fourth" arrives on Saturday. Expect a quick fact check and commentary post on that game. Speaking of that, I was supposed to have the post of Tuesday night's game against the Suns posted last night. But, I didn't realize it was still saved in the draft. I'll provide that tomorrow with a slight modification of my commentary after today's trade deadline. I'll see you guys later for the next nationally televised game.

02/08: LAKERS vs. OKC Thunder 2nd Half Open Thread and Discussion

Welcome in to the 2nd half open thread of the Lakers-Thunder matchup. As usual, leave a comment below and share your thoughts on the game.

Q4

OKC 81 LAL 106

Garbage time makes the quarter long. But as I said, the Lakers needed to balloon this lead to get Paul George off the court and they got it done. Good to see that Bryant and Zubac got some action. I thought they worked well in the lineup together for a small sample size. Another great win to extend the win streak to eight games at Staples Center. The Lakers continue to be on pace to break their win total from last season. Stay tuned for the full recap.

Q3

OKC 66 LAL 83

Fitting end for this quarter with Hart tipping in a missed shot from Kuzma. The threes continue to work for the Lakers! Ingram, Hart, and Kuzma provided the barrage from long range to balloon this lead to where it is now. I can see that Paul George is getting tired from carrying this Thunder team without Westbrook and Melo. It goes to what I said before, PG will have his way, but the Lakers have to contain everyone else. That is working and it also helps that the Thunder are missing their free throws when they get to the line. Good, dominant quarter from the Lakers. Time to put this team away in early part of the 4th quarter to make sure George doesn't see the court the rest of the way.

02/08: LAKERS vs. Oklahoma City Thunder 1st Half Open Thread and Discussion

Welcome in to the 1st half open thread and discussion of the Lakers' matchup vs. the Thunder. Considering what went down earlier today before the trade deadline, expect to see a really shorthanded Laker team, especially on the bench. Leave a comment below and share your thoughts on the game.

Q2

OKC 46 LAL 52

Kuzma had a couple more seconds to get across half court, but it is what it is. Not the end to the quarter the Lakers wanted, but fortunately they're still in the lead. The biggest stat here is that during this quarter, the Lakers went 6/9 from behind the 3-point arc. KCP and Kuzma provided most of the range from that distance and so did Ingram. Combined with the Lakers' defense and ability to push the ball and attack inside, it's what's giving them the edge against the Thunder. OKC is keeping themselves alive though. As I said before, Paul George is having his way here during this game. The mismatch between Jerami Grant and KCP hurt the Laker defense a little bit. Not to mention, 2nd chance opportunities and getting to the foul line also kept them alive. The way this game is trending, this should go in the Lakers' favor. PG13 going off this game, the Lakers can live with as long as no other Thunder player steps up to this game. George also showed he's human with a couple turnovers and Randle and Hart got blocks from him as well. They just gotta keep pushing the pace in transition and keep shooting from three as long as its working. Lopez's 3-point shot in particular is not working currently. Most of his shots were short or hit the back of the rim. He's gotta be better from that range. The 2nd half will open up shortly.

Q1

OKC 27 LAL 30

Nice strong finish after a slow start. That quarter was dominated by Paul George from early get-go. He was getting shot he wanted on the court. That, the Lakers could live with as long as no other player from the Thunder step up. They came back by dominating in the paint and playing their fast pace style of play from defense to offense. No Westbrook or Melo, they gotta take advantage of this matchup even if Clarkson and Nance are no longer there to provide the spark off the bench. So far, that doesn't seem to be a problem with Kuzma taking on a bigger load and Brewer stepping up to the plate.

Lakers Round Up Commentary: vs. OKC, vs. CHA, vs. Atlanta

*Stats courtesy of NBA.com*

Alright, I'm back from my absence. I'm still not 100% yet and I know I have some catching up to do in terms of blog posts. So, instead of me doing a single Quick Fact Check and Commentary posts on the three games that I missed while sick, I'm going to conglomerate them together into a single post. This is not going to happen too much. It's only if I'm unable to perform my duties on this blog because of some health ailments.

01/03 - Final Score: vs. Oklahoma City 133-96 [L]

Highlights: *courtesy of MLG Highlights*

I did watch this shellacking of a game while I was bed-ridden and yes, this is one of the more brutal losses the Lakers had this season. At the same time, it was inevitable. The Thunder just had a lot of star power that the Lakers' young core couldn't touch. It was all good for the start of the game though. The Lakers jumped out of the gate for a 0-14 lead. They were aggressive to start, but then Westbrook, PG, and Melo took over. It was like as if OKC spotted the Lakers 14 quick points before OKC's "OK3" stopped the party and put the game way out of reach for the Lakers before halftime. Terrance Ferguson going off for 24 points was icing on the cake for the Thunder. The guy barely got any playing time until Andre Roberson got hurt, barely hit any three pointers. This game, he drained three after three and turned this game into a dunk contest audition in garbage time.

01/05 - Final Score: vs. Charlotte 108-94 [L]

Highlights: *courtesy of Rapid Highlights*

The Lakers got Lonzo Ball back in this game and automatically, we would think that the Lakers would get their mojo back in terms sharing the ball and reviving some intensity on the defensive side of the ball. That wasn't case against the Hornets on Friday night. The big time beneficiary of Lonzo's return was Brandon Ingram. He grabbed a double-double of 22 points and 14 rebounds. B.I. was definitely reeling in Zo's absence and he returned to form. The aggressiveness was there and the mid range shot was falling. But, like in the OKC game, the Lakers didn't have a lot of fight. It also didn't help that Clarkson and Kuzma shot poorly this game. KCP only took 3 shots and didn't register a single point, not even a trip to the free throw line. 

01/07 - Final Score: vs. Atlanta 113-132 [W]

Highlights: *courtesy of Rapid Highlights*

Luckily for the Lakers, they're not the absolute worst in the NBA. And this game right here proved it as the Lakers battled the Hawks in who's worst of the worst.  The Hawks coming in was the perfect storm for the Lakers to prevent the franchise from going into further infamy with a possible franchise record 10 straight losses. Fastbreak points were the big difference maker in this game. I remember seeing the graphic in the first that the Lakers scored 24 points in transition while the Hawks registered zilch on the fastbreak. That's what was envisioned of the Lakers when they got Lonzo Ball in the draft is them running the floor, harkening back to the Showtime days. The Hawks missed a shot, the Lakers are on the run. The Lakers made a defensive stop, they're on the run. This game was truly refreshing to see compared to the losses against the Thunder and Hornets where the Lakers were not looking to attack 95% of the time. Brandon Ingram stood out this game with 20 points and 7 assists. It was a good overall game for B.I. in terms of scoring and facilitating. Ball had his 3-point game going early on. KCP, now that he's served his jail time, notched three more 3-pointers and 14 points overall to finish the game. The Hawks had no answer and Dennis Schroder probably broke his back after this game from carrying them since he was literally Atlanta's only source of offense. 

Lakers-Thunder Blog Posts Canceled

Good evening guys. MechG here. Unfortunately, I can't cover tonight's Lakers matchup vs. the Thunder. I'm currently under the weather. I'll provide a Quick Fact Check and Commentary on this game as soon as I recover. Next nationally televised Laker game will be on me.