Just as he did last night in Houston and as he has done for mostly every game this season, LeBron James paced the Los Angeles Lakers in the first half on their way to their fourth straight victory overall and their seventh straight victory on the road, as they’ve begun the season 7-0 away from Staples Center. James had 26 points, including five made 3-pointers to tie his season-high, with 15 of his points coming in the first half. Thanks to that start, the Lakers demolished the Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday, 128-99.
Although the Lakers let the Thunder close after building a 24-point lead at halftime, the Lakers reasserted their dominance in the third quarter. After Shai Gilgeous-Alexander got off to a nice start with 10 points in the first half, SGA was held to just two points the rest of the way. With the Lakers starting 7-0 it’s the best road start in franchise history.
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Lakers bench continues to provide LeBron a luxury
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One of the biggest storylines for the Lakers so far this season has been their ability to hold and sometimes extend leads with LeBron James on the bench. While they had a better bench last season, they still looked lost at times without James and Anthony Davis, but this season has provided a great luxury to the now 36-year old.
While Wednesday was the second night of a back-to-back, James was able to watch the final 6 minutes from the bench on both nights. While many folks have been concerned about LeBron’s minutes, the bench has allowed a luxury like this a few more nights than the Lakers were used to last season. A big reason why has been the consistent presence of Montrezl Harrell, who finished with 21 points and six rebounds.
Surviving injuries and still leading the NBA
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How do the Los Angeles Lakers manage to deal with the injuries they’ve had to key players throughout the start of the season, including a couple of missed games by Anthony Davis and more recently Wesley Matthews, the Lakers depth and team chemistry appears to be guiding them through a difficult, pandemic-affected season.
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Harrell’s energy has been just as important as his production and Dennis Schroder’s ability to run the team and his competitive nature appear to have also created a spark, while Marc Gasol has also sparked some new creativity from LeBron. After Wednesday’s win, the Lakers are the first team in the league to reach 10 wins.