Something fascinating is happening with the Los Angeles Lakers, and every NBA fan is going insane about it. Earlier, they handed the best team in the league, the Oklahoma City Thunder, a brutal and devastating loss, 126-99. Aside from their impeccable defense, the Lakers also limited Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to something no team has done since 2021 – not allowing Shai even a single free throw attempt.
It also helped that Luka Doncic had a strong first half. The Serbian superstar had an impressive outing by putting up 30 points on 5-of-11 three pointers made, 6 assists, and 7 rebounds. LeBron James only had to play for 34 minutes but still went on to finish with 19 points and 7 assists. Meanwhile, Austin Reaves had another 20-point game.
Zero Free Throws for the Free Throw Merchant
In an unexpected fashion, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander finished the game without even going to the charity stripe. The MVP frontrunner averaged 8.9 attempts per game, which resulted in fans calling him a “free throw merchant”.
Well, this time around, no calls were given to Shai and he didn’t even sniff a single attempt on the line. This is the first time this has happened since December 18, 2021 and only the sixth time in his stint with the OKC Thunder.
He still would play an incredible game, finishing with 26 points and 9 assists. But even that wasn’t enough against a raging Lakers.
Lakers Ties Franchise-High in 3-Pointers Made in a Game
The Purple and Gold definitely lit brighter in Oklahoma after firing a ton of shots from behind the arc. With Luka leading with five, the Lakers ended the dominant game with 22 total three-pointers made, most of which were during the first half.
They tie their franchise record in 2023 and 2019.
The Lakers, who were coming off from two consecutive dominant victories against the Pelicans and the No.1-seeded Thunder, improved their record to 48-30. Their 48th dub pushes them to the 3rd seed in the West, just 1.5 games above the Denver Nuggets, putting them in an even better position in the upcoming playoffs and bolstering their chances of reaching the NBA Finals once again.
On the other hand, the Thunder have lost their second straight and are now at 64-14. They’re still a lock at number one even after two disappointing games.
