The Lakers have cemented themselves as genuine title contenders after a 126-99 upset win over the Thunder on Sunday, but LeBron James had an admission.
OKC hadn’t lost a home game in over a month, but that was no problem for the purple and gold.
“We know it’s the final stretch into the full season, so we’re just trying to rack up great habits,” LeBron said.
Although it was an impressive win, LeBron admitted that the Lakers still have a lot to work on heading into the postseason.
“They know who they are. They know what they’re going to be in the postseason,” James said of the Thunder. “We’re still trying to figure it out. What are our lineups, also getting acclimated to what Luka wants to do, [Austin Reaves], myself.
“(We have to) make sure we’re keen on everybody else on the team and make sure we hold each other accountable. … We’re still working on our habits.”
LA did a pretty amazing job of containing MVP front runner, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander – who had no free throws for the first time since 2021.
He finished the loss with 26 points, three rebounds, nine assists, one steal and one block while shooting 12/23 from the field and 2/5 from the three-point range in 30 minutes and Luka was gushing over him to the media after the game.
“Shai, I think he’s an unbelievable player,” Doncic said. “He makes them look like they’re an incredible team, and they are.”
As for Doncic, he finished the victory with 30 points, seven rebounds, six assists and two steals while shooting 11/20 from the field and 5/11 from the three-point range in 37 minutes of playing time.
“Luka was spectacular,” James said of Doncic.
Head coach JJ Redick was pleased with the win
“Very committed to what we were trying to do defensively and very committed to where we felt like we could generate good shots offensively against a terrific defense,” Lakers coach JJ Redick said. “And there wasn’t any letup to that. There weren’t any overreactions.”