After losing four games in a row, the Los Angeles Lakers came into Saturday’s game versus the dangerous Oklahoma City Thunder in bad shape. Looking for something to spark his team, head coach Darvin Ham made a change to his starting lineup by inserting Jarred Vanderbilt in place of D’Angelo Russell. The hope was that the resulting extra length would give it more defensive ability and energy while allowing it to fast-break more easily.
After a competitive and offensive-minded first quarter, that increased defensive ability and length took effect. Los Angeles outscored the Thunder 35-20 in the second quarter to take a 71-59 halftime lead, and it led by as many as 26 in the third period.
Oklahoma City came in with the second-best record in the Western Conference for a reason, and it made a bit of a push down the stretch. But the Lakers were just too outstanding on Saturday, as they held on for a 129-120 victory.
The Lakers outplayed the Thunder in almost every category. They outrebounded the Thunder, had a season-high 37 assists, outscored the Thunder 16-6 in fast-break points and hit 50.0% from 3-point range versus 31.7% for the Thunder.
With a 16-14 record, L.A. is still in ninth place in the Western Conference. But now it has some burgeoning good vibes as it returns home for its Christmas Day showdown versus the hated Boston Celtics.