Oklahoma City Thunder 105-86 LA Lakers: Twitter explodes as LeBron and AD look lifeless on dismal shooting night for the Lakers | NBA 2019-20
The Oklahoma City Thunder blew out the LA Lakers 105-86 in tonight's NBA game. With the Lakers in a scoring rut while trying out new offensive lineups, the Thunder were absolutely dominant on both ends of the floor.
The LA Lakers, having clinched the top seed, will be looking to work on their chemistry for the remaining seeding games in the NBA bubble.
Chris Paul led the way for the Oklahoma City Thunder with 21 points and 6 assists. Danilo Gallinari put up 19 points while Steven Adams scored 18 points in the convincing win for the Thunder.
LeBron James led the LA Lakers with 19 points and was one of only three Lakers players who scored in double digits. Anthony Davis ended up with just 9 points on the night.
The Lakers shot poorly from all over the court, but especially from three-point range with just 5-37 made three-pointers. The Lakers ended up scoring just 35.2% from the field.
Before the game began, LeBron James arranged for students from his I Promise school to attend the game as the LA Lakers' virtual fans. Also in attendance was hip hop legend Lil Wayne.
Oklahoma City Thunder take the early lead
The Oklahoma City Thunder shot the ball well in the first quarter and took an early lead at 20-12 as LeBron James struggled to get going. The Thunder kept the pressure on the Lakers as they took the first quarter with a 26-18 lead.
Danny Green's shooting struggles continued as he went 0-4 from three-point range, and Twitter kept the jokes going.
The Thunder kept a healthy lead through the start of the second quarter. The LA Lakers struggled to score against the relentless Thunder defense and were unable to regain momentum.
With a couple of three-pointers from Kyle Kuzma and Danny Green, the LA Lakers cut the lead to 6 points at 36-30. The Oklahoma City Thunder soon hit back with a few three-point plays themselves.
The Thunder did not let the Lakers get into any rhythm and kept making shots to maintain their lead. They ended the first half up 7 points at 52-45. Danilo Gallinari led the scoring for the Oklahoma City Thunder with 10 points. LeBron James was the highest scorer for the Lakers with 10 points as well.
Both teams struggled from beyond the arc with a 3-point percentage below 20%. The Thunder made good use of their free throw opportunities to maintain a healthy lead in the first half.
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The Oklahoma City Thunder blow out the LA Lakers
The Thunder took off 6-0 to begin the second half before the Lakers began scoring. Chris Paul kept the pressure high on the offensive and defensive ends of the court.
The Lakers' woes continued as they just weren't able to get their shots up. Dion Waiters had it hard with no field goals in his first 6 attempts and Twitter was unforgiving.
The Oklahoma City Thunder kept going and ended up with a 20-point lead at 79-59 before the Lakers made a 7-2 run to end the quarter at 81-66.
With the LA Lakers trying out new offensive strategies before the playoffs, this game was rather ugly and difficult for Lakers fans to watch. The only solace for them were memes on Twitter.
Throughout the game, the LA Lakers seemed to be unable to make open three-pointers and ended the game with a dismal 13.5 three-point shooting percentage on 37 attempts.
The Oklahoma City Thunder eased to a 19-point victory by the end of the game, which finished with a scoreline of 105-86. The LA Lakers were clearly not playing their best basketball and are presumably trying to work out new strategies ahead of the playoffs.
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