As March 2023 wore on, the Los Angeles Lakers were slowly but surely climbing the Western Conference standings. However, they were having trouble getting to .500, and time was running out for them to qualify for the NBA playoffs.
On March 24, they faced the Oklahoma City Thunder, a team they were tied with in the standings. The Thunder were an overachieving young squad led by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who finished fourth in scoring despite being a 6-foot-6 beanstalk.
LeBron James was still out with a right foot injury. But it didn’t seem to matter much, as Anthony Davis came out of the blocks with 15 points and five rebounds in the first quarter as L.A. got off to a 41-25 lead.
Oklahoma City kept chipping away at the Lakers’ lead for much of the game afterward, but Davis never let it actually take a lead. He finished the game with 37 points on an amazing 15-of-21 shooting and 15 rebounds, leading the Purple and Gold to a 116-111 win.
The win finally got the Lakers to .500 for the first time in two seasons. It was a big step toward getting them back to the playoffs, where they would charge all the way to the Western Conference Finals.