OKC Thunder Unable to Overcome 26-Point Deficit in Loss to Lakers

Poor second and third quarters were too much for Oklahoma City to overcome.

The Oklahoma City Thunder lost control of the game in the first half and never recovered.

The Thunder fell to the Los Angeles Lakers 129-120 on Saturday night to snap the Lakers’ four-game losing skid. The Lakers also ended the Thunder’s three-game winning streak with six players scoring in double figures.

Superstars LeBron James and Anthony Davis were at the forefront of the Lakers' attack, scoring 40 and 26, respectively. Off the bench, Rui Hachimura poured in 21.

The Thunder cut the deficit to eight in the fourth quarter but could not get enough stops to get closer. The Thunder’s misses from 3-point range also added up as the game progressed. They shot 13-of-41 from beyond the arc, missing a number of wide-open looks.

A deep three from James on the fast break to extend the lead to 14 triggered a quick Oklahoma City timeout in the third quarter. A few minutes later, James’ lob to Davis in transition opened up a 20-point lead and forced Mark Daigneault into another timeout.

The Lakers extended their lead to 26, but Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led a run to cut the deficit to 16 going into the fourth quarter.

He finished with 34 points and seven assists, but it was not enough to bring the Thunder all the way back.

While he did not always get the best of Davis, Chet Holmgren put up a fight against one of the best bigs in the NBA. The Thunder rookie put up 19 points, 10 rebounds and three blocks against the Lakers.

Los Angeles’ first-half performance helped it take a 12-point lead into halftime behind Rui Hachimura’s 16 points. Much of that was thanks to the second quarter when Los Angeles sprinted ahead with a 13-3 run.

The game started with back-and-forth action throughout the first quarter, with three All-Stars making an instant mark on the game, with Gilgeous-Alexander putting up 12 points and five assists. In a game Davis called “must-win,” he and James combined for 15 in the first quarter as the Lakers played intensely in the opening minutes.

Jalen Williams capped off that first quarter with a baseline fadeaway as time expired to extend Oklahoma City’s lead to three. Williams helped open up a stagnant offense in the first half and finished with 28.

The Thunder gets Christmas Day off before facing the Minnesota Timberwolves on Tuesday.

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