Game ID: 22300397
Los Angeles Lakers @ Oklahoma City Thunder
Saturday, December 23, 2023 at 8:00 PM ET
Paycom Center, Oklahoma City, OK
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Final
OKC 39 20 32 29 120LAL 36 35 36 22 129
LAL @ OKC ScoutingLAL @ OKC Scouting
Welcome to the scouting desk. The coffee is cold, the film is play-by-play, and somebody has to explain what happened.
Every game has a hinge — a stretch where it was decided, usually while everyone was watching something else. Start where the evidence lives: the Lineups' face-offs say which five actually won their minutes; the Possessions ledger says who ran ahead of the night's own pace; the Shot Chart says where the points really came from, which is rarely where the highlights were. When all three agree, that is the story. When they don't — that is why this desk has a chair.
OKC availability going into 12/14 · 2 days' restBACK Micić back 12/11 after 6, 16 min since (133% of 12)
BACK Dieng back 12/11 after 4, 26 min since (262% of 10)
OKC availability going into 12/16 · 1 day's restBACK Micić back 12/11 after 6, 16 min since (133% of 12)
BACK Dieng back 12/11 after 4, 18 min since (183% of 10)
OKC availability going into 12/18 · 1 day's restOUT Micić missed 2 since 12/14, returns tonight: 7 min (61% of 12)
BACK Dieng back 12/11 after 4, 14 min since (138% of 10)
OKC availability going into 12/21 · 2 days' restBACK Micić back 12/11 after 6, 12 min since (97% of 12)
BACK Dieng back 12/11 after 4, 15 min since (151% of 10)
OKC availability going into 12/23 · 1 day's restBACK Micić back 12/11 after 6, 12 min since (97% of 12)
BACK Dieng back 12/11 after 4, 14 min since (136% of 10)
OKC availability going into 12/26 · 2 days' restOUT Micić missed 2 since 12/21, returns tonight: 16 min (133% of 12)
OKC availability going into 12/27 · back-to-backBACK Micić back 12/18 after 2, 12 min since (97% of 12)
OKC availability going into 12/29 · 1 day's restOUT Dieng missed 2 since 12/26, out tonight
BACK Micić back 12/18 after 2, 12 min since (97% of 12)
OKC availability going into 12/31 · 1 day's restOUT Dieng missed 3 since 12/26, out tonight
BACK Micić back 12/26 after 2, 15 min since (124% of 12)
LAL availability going into 12/15 · 1 day's restOUT Vincent missed 21 since 11/01, out tonight
BACK Hachimura back 12/05 after 5, 24 min since (88% of 27)
BACK Vanderbilt back 12/02 after 7, 15 min since (75% of 20)
LAL availability going into 12/18 · 2 days' restOUT Vincent missed 22 since 11/01, out tonight
BACK Hachimura back 12/05 after 5, 26 min since (96% of 27)
LAL availability going into 12/20 · 1 day's restOUT Vincent missed 23 since 11/01, returns tonight: 14 min (78% of 18)
NEW Prince 27 to 33 min over the last 5
LAL availability going into 12/21 · back-to-backBACK Vincent back 12/20 after 23, 14 min since (78% of 18)
NEW Prince 27 to 36 min over the last 5
NEW Reddish 20 to 26 min over the last 4
LAL availability going into 12/23 · 1 day's restBACK Vincent back 12/20 after 23, 14 min since (78% of 18)
NEW Prince 27 to 35 min over the last 5
NEW Reddish 20 to 29 min over the last 4
LAL availability going into 12/25 · 1 day's restOUT Vincent missed 2 since 12/21, out tonight
OUT Christie missed 2 since 12/21, out tonight
NEW Prince 27 to 35 min over the last 5
NEW Reddish 20 to 30 min over the last 4
LAL availability going into 12/28 · 2 days' restOUT Vincent missed 3 since 12/21, out tonight
OUT Wood missed 2 since 12/23, returns tonight: 23 min (134% of 17)
OUT Christie missed 3 since 12/21, returns tonight: 24 min (172% of 14)
NEW Prince 27 to 35 min over the last 5
NEW Reddish 20 to 28 min over the last 5
LAL availability going into 12/30 · 1 day's restOUT Vincent missed 4 since 12/21, out tonight
BACK Wood back 12/28 after 2, 23 min since (134% of 17)
BACK Christie back 12/28 after 3, 24 min since (172% of 14)
NEW Prince 27 to 32 min over the last 5
NEW Reddish 20 to 28 min over the last 4
LAL availability going into 12/31 · back-to-backOUT Vincent missed 5 since 12/21, out tonight
BACK Wood back 12/28 after 2, 18 min since (105% of 17)
BACK Christie back 12/28 after 3, 24 min since (172% of 14)
NEW Prince 27 to 32 min over the last 5
NEW Reddish 20 to 26 min over the last 4
I Know — the desk, before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
OKC comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 125 a night and allowing 115, shooting 50 percent and 38 from three, 23 free throws a game; Gilgeous-Alexander at 32 and Holmgren at 17 a game. That is 3 straight wins. One day's rest. The Lakers come in 1-4 over their last five, scoring 113 a night and allowing 121, shooting 48 percent and 35 from three, 19 free throws a game; Davis at 30 and James at 24 a game. That is 4 straight losses. They have lost the glass by 5 a night. One day's rest.
So: OKC wins, in a game with no one edge to lean on. Call it OKC 121, the Lakers 113.
12/14 @ SAC 123-128 — OKC notes
OKC lost 123-128. OKC shot 43% (44 of 102) to SAC's 49%, 11 of 36 from three, and went to the line 27 times to SAC's 21 — 24 points from the stripe to their 16. Gilgeous-Alexander led with 43 (13 of 27, 1 of 5 from three, 16 of 18 at the line); Giddey added 18, Dort 17. Q4 was theirs, 31-28, the deficit cut from 8 to 5, but the other 3 periods went 100-92 against them. Wallace's -18 in 19 minutes was the worst on the floor.
12/16 @ DEN 118-117 — OKC notes
OKC won 118-117. OKC shot 51% (43 of 84) to DEN's 45%, 7 of 21 from three, and went to the line 30 times to DEN's 24 — 25 points from the stripe to their 21. Gilgeous-Alexander led with 25 (9 of 20, 7 of 8 at the line); Jal. Williams added 24, Holmgren 17. The hinge was Q4, 33-30: OKC came in trailing by 2 and left it ahead by 1. OKC trailed 54-56 at the half and won the second half 64-61. Joe was the night's best plus/minus at +12.
12/18 vs MEM 116-97 — OKC notes
OKC won 116-97. OKC shot 46% (42 of 92) to MEM's 35%, 11 of 36 from three. OKC turned it over 12 times to MEM's 22. Gilgeous-Alexander led with 30 (8 of 18, 1 of 3 from three, 13 of 14 at the line); Holmgren added 17, Giddey 16. The hinge was Q3, 26-13: a lead of 15 became 28, and the lead reached 31. Gilgeous-Alexander was the night's best plus/minus at +30.
12/21 vs LAC 134-115 — OKC notes
OKC won 134-115. OKC shot 59% (51 of 87) to LAC's 47%, 16 of 34 from three, and went to the line 18 times to LAC's 12 — 16 points from the stripe to their 10. Gilgeous-Alexander led with 31 (11 of 25, 1 of 6 from three, 8 of 9 at the line); Holmgren added 23, Dort 21. The hinge was Q3, 45-33: a lead of 5 became 17, and the lead reached 20. Jal. Williams was the night's best plus/minus at +24.
12/23 vs LAL 120-129 — OKC notes
OKC lost 120-129. OKC shot 48% (46 of 95) to LAL's 52%, 13 of 41 from three. Gilgeous-Alexander led with 34 (12 of 21, 1 of 5 from three, 9 of 10 at the line); Jal. Williams added 28, Holmgren 19. Q4 was theirs, 29-22, the deficit cut from 16 to 9, but the other 3 periods went 107-91 against them. Joe's -20 in 20 minutes was the worst on the floor.
12/26 vs MIN — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
OKC comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 122 a night and allowing 117, shooting 49 percent and 35 from three, 23 free throws a game; Gilgeous-Alexander at 33 and Holmgren at 18 a game. 2 days' rest. Minnesota comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 116 a night and allowing 111, shooting 51 percent and 41 from three, 20 free throws a game; Edwards at 31 and Towns at 26 a game. 2 days' rest.
So: OKC wins, and the game turns on the arc, Minnesota at 41 percent from three to OKC's 35 and the turnovers, Minnesota giving it away 14 times a game to OKC's 11. Call it OKC 116, Minnesota 114, Minnesota keeping it close.
12/27 vs NYK — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
OKC comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 123 a night and allowing 113, shooting 53 percent and 38 from three, 21 free throws a game; Gilgeous-Alexander at 31 and Holmgren at 19 a game. Second night of a back-to-back. New York comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 119 a night and allowing 121, shooting 48 percent and 33 from three, 24 free throws a game; Brunson at 28 and Randle at 25 a game. Without Robinson (8 straight). One day's rest.
So: OKC wins, and the game turns on the defense, OKC allowing 113 a night to New York's 121 and the arc, OKC at 38 percent from three to New York's 33. Call it OKC 120, New York 115.
12/29 @ DEN — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Denver comes in 5-0 over its last five, scoring 120 a night and allowing 107, shooting 50 percent and 42 from three, 18 free throws a game; Jokić at 26 and Murray at 25 a game. That is 5 straight wins. It has won the glass by 5 a night. Second night of a back-to-back. OKC comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 126 a night and allowing 113, shooting 53 percent and 40 from three, 20 free throws a game; Gilgeous-Alexander at 33 and Jal. Williams at 22 a game. One day's rest.
So: Denver wins, and the game turns on the glass, where Denver has been plus-5 a night and OKC minus-3 and the defense, Denver allowing 107 a night to OKC's 113. Call it Denver 117, OKC 116, OKC keeping it close.
12/31 vs BKN — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
OKC comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 126 a night and allowing 113, shooting 54 percent and 40 from three, 18 free throws a game; Gilgeous-Alexander at 35 and Jal. Williams at 22 a game. That is 3 straight wins. One day's rest. Brooklyn comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 117 a night and allowing 121, shooting 47 percent and 35 from three, 31 free throws a game; Cam. Johnson at 19 and Bridges at 18 a game. Without Simmons (25 straight), Walker IV (14 straight). One day's rest.
So: OKC wins, and the game turns on the line, where Brooklyn takes 31 free throws a game to OKC's 18 and the arc, OKC at 40 percent from three to Brooklyn's 35. Call it OKC 122, Brooklyn 114.
12/15 @ SAS 115-129 — LAL notes
LAL lost 115-129. LAL shot 48% (43 of 89) to SAS's 49%, 11 of 36 from three, and went to the line 28 times to SAS's 19 — 18 points from the stripe to their 17. James led with 23 (7 of 17, 2 of 6 from three, 7 of 10 at the line); Reaves added 22, Hachimura 20. Q2 was theirs, 40-27, the deficit cut from 20 to 7, but the other 3 periods went 102-75 against them. James's -28 in 36 minutes was the worst on the floor.
12/18 vs NYK 109-114 — LAL notes
LAL lost 109-114. LAL took 11 more shots (99 to 88), but shot 42% to NYK's 48%, 13 of 41 from three, and got to the line 13 times to NYK's 23. LAL turned it over 10 times to NYK's 15. The glass went 41-52 against them. Davis led with 32 (14 of 22); James added 25, Reaves 20. Q2 was theirs, 31-22, turning a 8-point deficit into a 1-point lead, but the other 3 periods went 92-78 against them. James's -13 in 39 minutes was the worst on the floor.
12/20 @ CHI 108-124 — LAL notes
LAL lost 108-124. LAL shot 45% (42 of 94) to CHI's 55%, 12 of 37 from three. James led with 25 (10 of 18, 1 of 3 from three); Reaves added 21, Davis 19. Q2 was theirs, 33-28, the deficit cut from 11 to 6, but the other 3 periods went 96-75 against them. Reaves's -22 in 28 minutes was the worst on the floor.
12/21 @ MIN 111-118 — LAL notes
LAL lost 111-118. LAL shot 49% (41 of 83) to MIN's 48%, 10 of 24 from three. Davis led with 31 (11 of 20, 8 of 9 at the line); Reaves added 20, Hachimura 18. Q2 was theirs, 27-27, but the other 3 periods went 91-84 against them. Reaves's -9 in 27 minutes was the worst on the floor.
12/23 @ OKC 129-120 — LAL notes
LAL won 129-120. LAL shot 52% (47 of 90) to OKC's 48%, 16 of 32 from three. James led with 40 (13 of 20, 5 of 5 from three, 9 of 9 at the line); Davis added 26, Hachimura 21. The hinge was Q2, 35-20: LAL came in trailing by 3 and left it ahead by 12, and the lead reached 26. Reddish was the night's best plus/minus at +13.
12/25 vs BOS — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
The Lakers come in 1-4 over their last five, scoring 114 a night and allowing 121, shooting 47 percent and 36 from three, 21 free throws a game; James at 28 and Davis at 27 a game. They have lost the glass by 4 a night. Without Vincent (2 straight). One day's rest. Boston comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 131 a night and allowing 113, shooting 49 percent and 43 from three, 19 free throws a game; Brown at 26 and Tatum at 24 a game. It has won the glass by 5 a night. One day's rest.
So: Boston wins, on the road, and the game turns on the glass, where Boston has been plus-5 a night and the Lakers minus-4 and the arc, Boston at 43 percent from three to the Lakers' 36. Call it Boston 120, the Lakers 114.
12/28 vs CHA — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
The Lakers come in 1-4 over their last five, scoring 114 a night and allowing 120, shooting 47 percent and 39 from three, 19 free throws a game; Davis at 30 and James at 26 a game. They have lost the glass by 4 a night. Without Vincent (3 straight), Wood (2 straight). 2 days' rest. Charlotte comes in 0-5 over its last five, scoring 99 a night and allowing 122, shooting 43 percent and 24 from three, 16 free throws a game; Bridges at 18 and Rozier at 18 a game. That is 5 straight losses. It has lost the glass by 6 a night. Without Ball (13 straight). One day's rest.
So: The Lakers win, and the game turns on the arc, the Lakers at 39 percent from three to Charlotte's 24. Call it the Lakers 119, Charlotte 110.
12/30 @ MIN — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Minnesota comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 113 a night and allowing 115, shooting 50 percent and 40 from three, 26 free throws a game; Edwards at 31 and Towns at 18 a game. One day's rest. The Lakers come in 2-3 over their last five, scoring 119 a night and allowing 120, shooting 50 percent and 43 from three, 19 free throws a game; Davis at 28 and James at 24 a game. Without Vincent (4 straight). One day's rest.
So: Minnesota wins, and the game turns on the turnovers, Minnesota giving it away 17 times a game to the Lakers' 12 and the line, where Minnesota takes 26 free throws a game to the Lakers' 19. Call it Minnesota 116, the Lakers 113, the Lakers keeping it close.
12/31 @ NOP — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
New Orleans comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 113 a night and allowing 109, shooting 49 percent and 36 from three, 23 free throws a game; Ingram at 24 and Williamson at 21 a game. Without Hawkins (3 straight). 2 days' rest. The Lakers come in 2-3 over their last five, scoring 119 a night and allowing 117, shooting 49 percent and 43 from three, 23 free throws a game; Davis at 31 and James at 25 a game. Without Vincent (5 straight). Second night of a back-to-back.
So: New Orleans wins, and the game turns on the arc, the Lakers at 43 percent from three to New Orleans's 36 and the defense, New Orleans allowing 109 a night to the Lakers' 117. Call it New Orleans 117, the Lakers 112.
Who is who
the initials in the Players column
LALAD A. Davis
AR A. Reaves
CR C. Reddish
DR D. Russell
JH J. Hayes
JV J. Vanderbilt
LJ L. James
RH R. Hachimura
TP T. Prince
OKCAW A. Wiggins
CH C. Holmgren
CW C. Wallace
DB D. Bertans
IJ I. Joe
JW J. Williams
JW Jal. Williams
JW Jay. Williams
KW K. Williams
LD L. Dort
OD O. Dieng
OS O. Sarr
SG S. Gilgeous-Alexander
LAL/OKC the team itself, not a player
-- the feed named nobody
What
What happened
the codes in the Events column
M2 / M3 made 2 / made 3
X2 / X3 missed 2 / missed 3
FT / X1 free throw made / missed
AST assist
OR / DR offensive / defensive rebound
STL steal
BLK block
TO turnover
FL foul
OF offensive foul — ends the possession
VIOL violation
JUMP jump ball
TM timeout
IR instant replay
HE heave at the buzzer, filed to the team
END the clock ran out, ball in hand
Where
Where a shot came from
the middle field of M3.LW.25
RM at the rim inside 4 ft
RC right corner
RW right wing
SO straight on
LW left wing
LC left corner
M3.LW.25 made 3, left wing, 25 ft
X2.RM.01 missed 2, at the rim, 1 ft
When
When it happened
the Offset column
one number per event, in the Events order:
whole seconds from the start of the
possession to that event
Events FL X3.RC.23 OR M2.RM.01
Offset 0 18 22 24
the foul opens the possession at 0s;
the putback ends it at 24s, which is
the possession's own Dur
LeBron James scores season-high 40 points, Lakers beat Thunder to end 4-game skid
OKLAHOMA CITY -- — LeBron James scored a season-high 40 points and the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 129-120 on Saturday night to snap a four-game losing streak.
The 38-year-old James was 13 of 20 from the field, hitting five 3-pointers without a miss, and made all nine of his free throws. He also had seven rebounds, seven assists and two blocks.
Oklahoma City trimmed what had been a 26-point deficit with 3:32 left in the third quarter to eight points midway through the fourth quarter. James then took over, scoring 11 points in the final 4:29 to help the Lakers hold on.
"To know I can go out and still make game-winning plays, can affect the game in multiple ways and can still close out a game in the fourth quarter when our team needed when they started making a run is always a good feeling for sure,” James said.
Anthony Davis , who had called this a must-win game, added 26 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists for the Lakers. Rui Hachimura scored 21 points and Austin Reaves chipped in 11 points and nine assists for Los Angeles, which had gone 1-5 since winning the In-Season Tournament.
The Lakers shot 52.2% and had a season-high 37 assists to just nine turnovers.
“Everyone was making shots and everybody was passing the ball," James said. "We were trying to keep it on time, on target and not turn the ball over. That was the key to it.”
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 34 points for Oklahoma City. Jalen Williams added 28 and Chet Holmgren had 19 points and 10 rebounds. The Thunder had won three straight and five of six.
Hachimura scored 16 points in the first half to help Los Angeles take a 71-59 lead at the break. The Lakers shot 60% from the field in the first two quarters.
The Thunder called a timeout after James hit a 3-pointer with the 7-foot-1 Holmgren in his face early in the third to put the Lakers up 78-64. James hit another 3-pointer, then lobbed to Davis for a powerful two-handed dunk that gave the Lakers a 90-70 lead and forced another Oklahoma City timeout.
Reaves hit a 3-pointer, was fouled and made the free throw with about four minutes left in the third to give the Lakers a 98-75 lead. Los Angeles took a 107-91 lead into the fourth.
The Thunder chopped the deficit to single digits midway through the final period before the Lakers hung on. James' corner 3 over a closeout by Gilgeous-Alexander put the Lakers ahead 123-110 with 3:26 to play.
“They they came out like a team that was desperate for a win," Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said. "I didn’t think we came out like poor or sloppy or soft or anything like that, but we just didn’t amp it up to the level that we needed to, in that first half especially. And we allowed them to kind of get to a groove. And I thought that was really the game right there. So it’s a good lesson for us.”