OKLAHOMA CITY — JJ Redick has mentioned several times throughout his first season as the Lakers coach that one of his favorite parts of the job is the problem-solving aspect that comes with the gig.
Redick knew there would be plenty for him and his coaching staff to problem-solve during the 38 hours the Lakers had between Friday’s home win over the New Orleans Pelicans and Sunday’s matchup against the Oklahoma City Thunder at Paycom Center.
As the team with the Western Conference’s best record by a wide margin, and the league’s best record overall, the Thunder present plenty of issues for opponents on both sides of the floor.
But the Lakers had an answer for seemingly everything Oklahoma City threw at them on Sunday afternoon, beating the Thunder 126-99 on the road in a matchup they had full control of from the game’s start.
Luka Doncic led the Lakers (48-30) with 30 points, seven rebounds, six assists and a pair of steals, with his early shotmaking (14 first-quarter points and a trio of 3-pointers in the opening period) setting the tone for one of the Lakers’ best victories of the season.
The Lakers made a season-high 22 3-pointers on 40 attempts from beyond the arc (55%), with the Thunder (64-14) struggling to contain the Lakers’ main ball handlers as drivers.
Austin Reaves was one of six Lakers to score in double figures, finishing with 20 points on 7-of-15 shooting (four 3s).
LeBron James added 19 points (9-of-16 shooting) and seven assists, taking advantage of the Thunder guarding him with smaller players after initially being defended by Thunder big man Chet Holmgren.
Dorian Finney-Smith (14 points, seven rebounds; four 3s), Gabe Vincent (12 points, three assists, three rebounds; four 3s) and Rui Hachimura (11 points, seven rebounds) also scored in double figures.
Doncic took advantage of Oklahoma City switching big man Isaiah Hartenstein onto him early, with the 26-year-old Slovenian guard knocking down a pair of step back 3s over Hartenstein in the first before the Thunder started to send help.
From there, Doncic’s passing/playmaking opportunities opened up, leading to one of the Lakers’ best offensive performances of the season – and possibly their best, considering the Thunder entered the matchup with the league’s best defense.
Thunder All-NBA guard and MVP candidate Shai Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 26 points and nine assists, but Oklahoma City didn’t get much offensive production outside of him.
All-Star wing Jalen Williams finished with 16 points but on 4-of-14 shooting to go with six rebounds, three assists and three steals.
Holmgren added 10 points.
Sunday was the first time the Thunder have lost consecutive games since Nov. 17 and Nov. 19.
The Lakers and Thunder will match up again in Oklahoma City on Tuesday night.
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