Somewhere, Oklahoma City Thunder general manager Sam Presti is probably smiling.
The Thunder played well on Wednesday. Really well. They took the Los Angeles Lakers to overtime for the second game in a row and absolutely could have — maybe even should have — won. Instead, LeBron James hit a 3-pointer to tie the game with about 20 seconds left in regulation and then Wesley Matthews hit a 3 with 42 seconds left in overtime to take the lead. The Thunder couldn’t get off a final shot and lost 114-113.
“These ones sting because you want to come away with a win when you put that sort of effort forward,” head coach Mark Daigneault said. “But we’re focused on progress and these are certainly games that we continue show progress and we continue strength our muscles competitively as a team.”
Even without guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City once again played a strong second game of a mini-series. If Monday’s overtime loss to the Lakers had been their best showing of the season, which I wrote after the game that one could argue it was, the Wednesday game exceeded that performance.
Four Thunder players scored at least 15 points, including guard Hamidou Diallo, who has now reached double-digits in 11 games in a row.
Center Al Horford continues to look revived, scoring 25 points, dishing eight assists, grabbing eight rebounds and getting four steals.
James continues to be ageless, though. The Lakers star played more than 40 minutes for the third game in a row and finished with 25 points, seven assists and six rebounds. Los Angeles eclipsed the Thunder.
Here are some numbers that define the game: