Oklahoma City’s Young Core Shines Bright in Win Over Lakers
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On a historic night in the NBA, Oklahoma City refused to shy away from the bright lights. The Thunder held on in the fourth quarter to beat the Lakers 133-130 on the that evening LeBron James claimed the all-time scoring record.
The attention was centered around James the entire night, but the Thunder’s young core stayed focused. As a team, Oklahoma City shot 17-of-34 from 3-point range and 52.1% overall. The Lakers fell back into a zone for a good portion of the game, daring the Thunder to fire away from distance.
Isaiah Joe and Mike Muscala played a massive role in OKC’s long-range success, combining for 31 points and nine triples off the bench. Jaylin Williams, who started at center and held his own against Anthony Davis, added two 3-pointers of his own. In addition, J-Will totaled 14 points, seven rebounds and seven assists in 30 minutes.
There was momentum building the entire second half in favor of Los Angeles, as James inches closer to the scoring record. The crowd was audibly into the game throughout the night. Late in the third quarter, with a fadeaway jumper over Kenrich Williams, James passed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in all-time scoring. He finished the game with 38 points on 13-of-20 shooting.
Oklahoma City’s young core battled to weather the storm, and thanks to a late fourth quarter run and a flurry of 3-pointers, the Thunder spoiled a historic night. Here’s who led the Thunder to victory Tuesday:
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
As he’s done all season long, Gilgeous-Alexander rose to the occasion. The All Star went shot-for-shot with the James in the third quarter and led the Thunder down the stretch.
On the night, SGA scored 30 points on 9-of-17 shooting, and added eight assists and two steals. Gilgeous-Alexander finally got a chance to show what he can do on the biggest stage — and he delivered.
Jalen Williams
After Tuesday night’s performance, Williams might just be the talk of the town. He was unbelievable for the Thunder on both ends of the floor.
J-Dub poured in 25 points, seven rebounds and six steals, turning heads all across the country. He shot 10-of-19 from the floor and drilled three triples on the evening. It was arguably his best game of the season.
Josh Giddey
Giddey dealt with difficult defensive matchups in Patrick Beverly and Russell Westbrook but stayed composed all game long. He was solid under pressure and helped set the pace for the Thunder.
The point guard finished with 20 points, six assists and five rebounds, matching Jalen Williams in shooting 10-of-19 from the floor. It was an efficient night for Giddey, who continues to soar in his sophomore season.
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