The Oklahoma City Thunder jumped on the Lakers early and never looked back
Considering the Thunder came into the contest a 16 point favorite, it was not a surprise that the game finished how it did. The Lakers only managed to score 15 points in the first quarter while giving up 35, and that was only the start of their troubles.
With Kobe sitting out with a sore right shoulder, rookie Anthony Brown got his first NBA start and was immediately thrown into the fire required to defend OKC star Kevin Durant.
KD had 14 points in the first quarter alone, finishing with 22 points on 7-of-13 shooting in just under 30 minutes of play, sitting the entire fourth quarter alongside Russell Westbrook.
Another storyline to mention is how D’Angelo Russell and Julius Randle reacted to playing the Thunder’s dynamic duo for the first time. Both came out lackadaisical, continuing to come off the bench for the Lakers, showing no desire to even play in this contest.
Welp pic.twitter.com/pGbMqrm5a2
— Mutiple Sources (@ericdyee) December 19, 2015
Rightly so, both played limited minutes in the first half Randle with 10 and Russell with 11.
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The Lakers were dominated on the boards 56-32, at one point giving up five straight offensive rebounds to start the third quarter.
At this point in the season, it’s not the loss that is concerning but more so how the Lakers are losing. This season was supposed to be devoted solely to developing the Lakers young players but they look more demoralized than ever.
Unlike recently where their losses have been more bearable, due to the obvious improvements on both ends of the floor, Saturday night against the Thunder was unacceptable and the losses are beginning to take their toll on the Lakers’ young players.
Two Stars
Normally we have three stars, but this night was especially terrible and only warrants two, if that.
Lou Williams seemed to be the only Lakers player ready to come out and play. Finishing the first half with 17 points Sweet Lou was one of the lone bright spots for the Purple and Gold. Additionally, up until the fourth quarter, Williams had all of the Lakers threes.
Jordan Clarkson continued his impressive play specifically against the Thunder finishing with 15 points and 4 rebounds. This stands out more when you consider the fact that he was required to chase Russell Westbrook around on the defensive end of the floor for most of the game.
Odds
The Thunder were 16 point favorites and easily covered the spread, winning by 40. The Lakers didn’t hold up their end of the bargain, failing to score 80 points and the teams finished below the 208.5-point O/U line.
Next: Anthony Brown Gets First NBA Start with Kobe Out
Next Game
The Lakers will travel to Denver to play the Nuggets Tuesday night after a two-day lay off and try to get redemption on the team that beat them in the first week of the season by 11.