7 hours Ago By Reuters
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rapplerAds.displayAd( "mobile-middle-1" );Luka Doncic scored 30 points to lead the Los Angeles Lakers to a 126-99 road win over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday (Monday, April 7, Manila time).The Lakers finished with a season-high 22 3-pointers on 40 attempts (55 percent).
Austin Reaves had 20 points and he and Doncic were two of four Los Angeles players with four or more 3-pointers.Dorian Finney-Smith (14 points) and Gabe Vincent (12) each made four triples, while LeBron James added 19 points and seven assists.The Lakers (48-30) have won four of their last five.
The Thunder have dropped back-to-back games for the second time this season. Oklahoma City (64-14) had not lost a game by more than 15 points this season, other than the NBA Cup championship game that did not count toward the league standings.The Lakers got going from deep early and didn’t cool off in the first half.
Los Angeles hit 10 of its first 12 3-pointers to help it build a lead that stretched as large as 29 in the first half.The Lakers finished the first half 15 of 22 from beyond the arc, tying a franchise record for 3-pointers in a half.Los Angeles ripped off a 16-6 run late in the first quarter to grab control and lead by 11.
The Lakers hit three 3-pointers in that stretch, including two on consecutive possessions by Vincent. They were 7 of 9 from beyond the arc in the opening quarter to score 42 points against the team with the top defensive rating in the NBA.Los Angeles quickly stretched its lead to 20 in the first three minutes of the second quarter and Oklahoma City never got closer than 13 the rest of the way.
The Lakers dominated despite not scoring off a Thunder turnover until more than three minutes into the fourth quarter when James stepped in front of an Aaron Wiggins pass near midcourt and ran uncontested for a raucous dunk.It was just Oklahoma City’s third turnover of the game.Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the Thunder with 26 points, extending his streak of scoring 20 or more points to 71 games.
Gilgeous-Alexander added nine assists and did not attempt a free throw for the first time this season. Jalen Williams had 16 points and Chet Holmgren scored 10.The game was the first of back-to-back games between the teams in Oklahoma City.
They’ll meet again Tuesday. – Rappler.com.
