Lakers vs. Thunder, 117-113: Didn’t See That Coming

The Lakers stayed competitive, but still fell to the Thunder in STAPLES Center on Friday

On the second night of a back-to-back against an Oklahoma City Thunder team that had knocked them around to the tune of 40-point and 35-point losses in their two previous meetings this season, you would have assumed that things in STAPLES Center would have gotten quite ugly quite quickly for the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday night.

However, in front of the national television audience with ESPN carrying the game, the Lakers put forth one of their most spirited efforts of the entire season. Even with Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant having big nights for OKC and with D’Angelo Russell only playing eight minutes due to an ankle injury, Lou Williams and Kobe Bryant still found a way.

In terms of things to take away from this game, there are plenty. The first is just how dangerous Williams can be when he catches fire. The reigning NBA Sixth Man of the Year put up a career-high scoring effort and really carried the Lakers down the stretch in the fourth quarter—even doing so without solely depending on getting foul calls. And while he faded a bit towards the end of the night, Kobe also had a vintage performance at times on Friday, particularly with some clutch buckets in the second quarter.

However, there were still problems that persisted for the Lakers and, in essence, cost them an upset win. Not that many players in the league can defend Russ, but the perimeter defense for LA wasn’t even a hindrance in stopping Westbrook from getting into the lane for most of the night. Moreover, the Lakers got trounced on the glass, which really shows in a four-point game.

More than any aspect of the game to take away from Friday night, though, the Lakers were competitive against the Thunder in a way that’s been a rarity for this team this season. While you’d like to see a healthy Russell, Julius Randle, and Larry Nance Jr. contribute to efforts like this than you would Kobe or Lou, it’s still refreshing to see this team play with a fire when there have been so many lackadaisical outings through the first two-and-a-half months of the year.

It’s another loss for the Lakers and that’s not the worst thing for the organization looking to keep their draft pick. However, if the team could show this type of effort on a more consistent basis, perhaps showings like this wouldn’t be quite as shocking to the system and this season would become a bit more bearable.

Three Stars

Lou Williams had a career night scoring the basketball. He finished the night with 44 points, one assist, two rebounds, and two steals.

Kobe Bryant had a big night that was overshadowed by Lou, but was impressive nonetheless. He finished with 19 points, six assists, four rebounds, and one steal with some added “Vintage Mamba” moments.

Jordan Clarkson had a big role in this close loss as well. The second-year guard finished with 17 points, three rebounds, two assists, and two steals.

Highlights

"Bass putting in work"

"Lou with a clutch"

Odd

The Thunder came into the game as 14.5-point favorites, a spread which they failed to cover even in victory. The two teams did combine to hit the over on the 209.5-point O/U line.

Next: 3 Differences Between Randle and Nance

Next Game

The Lakers will be back in STAPLES Center on Sunday night to take on the Utah Jazz.

The Thunder will continue on a mini road trip on Sunday night as they face the Portland Trail Blazers.