Staff Reporter.
Luka Doncic scored 30 points and the Los Angeles Lakers routed the league-leading Oklahoma City Thunder 126-99 on Sunday.
The Slovenian registered seven rebounds and six assists alongside his 30-point haul as the third-placed Lakers overcame league-leading Thunder.
The Lakers broke a franchise record by scoring 15 three-pointers during the first half to open up a 22-point lead at half-time.
Shooting guard Austin Reaves scored 20 points while LeBron James added 19 of his own as the Lakers moved quickly to secure one of the four remaining automatic play-off spots.
“Between Oklahoma and Cleveland, they’re the best teams in the NBA,” James said.
“Oklahoma are the number one team in the West so you can’t let up no matter what the score is – they’re always going to make a push. That’s why they are where they are at this part of the season.
“So it’s a really good win for us and we can build off it. We’re just trying to build our habits right now, going into the final stretch of the year.”
Takeaways
Lakers: Los Angeles showed the peak of its capability in perhaps the best piece of evidence that things are working with James and Doncic together.
Thunder: The Lakers’ spectacular individual shotmaking rendered Oklahoma City’s team defensive strategy useless.