The Los Angeles Lakers are managing to keep their head above water as they wait for their star LeBron James to return to action. The LA team grabbed an important 116-111 win against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Friday night, improving to a 37-37 record and being .500 for the first time this season.
The Lakers saw a big night from Anthony Davis against the OKC, with the big man delivering one of his best performances in 2022-23. Davis finished the night with 37 points and 15 rebounds while being 15-21 from the field. Guards Dennis Schroder and Lonnie Walker added 21 points and 20 points, respectively.
The Lakers have now won seven out of their last 10 games and find themselves in a much better position than they were ahead of the NBA trade deadline. They are currently sitting at No.8 in the West, tied with the Minnesota Timberwolves at No.7. They trail the sixth-seeded Golden State Warriors by 1.5 games.
“We just have to approach these last eight games like we’ve been doing since the deadline,” said Lakers coach Darvin Ham after the OKC game. “Each game is its own entity. We just have to approach each game and pour all of ourselves into each particular game. We’ll continue to carry on as such. Now instead of constantly facing a deficit, we get to create a surplus.”
The Thunder, on the other hand, missed an opportunity to solidify their Play-In chances. They are at No. 10 but have the Dallas Mavericks and the Utah Jazz breathing down their neck.
