1 week Ago By Lebron Wire
The Los Angeles Lakers have been sputtering over the last few weeks on both ends of the court, but they put together a very impressive performance on Sunday. They went up against the Oklahoma City Thunder, the NBA's best defensive team that came in with a league-best 64-13 record, and walloped the Thunder by a final score of 126-99, which strengthened their hold on third place in the Western Conference.Luka Doncic led the way with an efficient 30 points, to go along with seven rebounds, six assists and two steals.
As usual, he orchestrated L.A.'s offense and made things easier on his teammates.
On Fox Sports 1's "First Things First," Nick Wright said that Doncic's impact is the reason he believes the Lakers will reach the NBA Finals this season.“This was a great reminder of what having Luka on your team creates offensively,” Wright said. ”So to me, this was why people such as [Chris Broussard] and myself can feel like this team is going to win the West.
”“This was a great reminder of what having Luka on your team creates offensively.”@getnickwright reacts to the Lakers defeating the Thunder 126-99: pic.twitter.
com/Wd3hvDVGas— First Things First (@FTFonFS1) April 7, 2025Doncic's influence helped the Lakers make 22 of their 40 3-point attempts, and they went an unbelievable 15-of-22 from that distance in the first half as they built a 78-56 halftime lead. Doncic draws in multiple defenders like few other players in basketball, and he is one of the most gifted passers in the game today.Los Angeles will play the Thunder again on Tuesday, but it will be at least somewhat short-handed.
Starting forward Rui Hachimura won't play, while Doncic and several other rotation players are listed as questionable. The team will head south to face the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday.This article originally appeared on LeBron Wire: Nick Wright: Luka Doncic's influence means Lakers can reach NBA Finals.
