The Los Angeles Lakers showed how dangerous their big three can be against the Oklahoma City Thunder when winning the street on Sunday, the team with the best record of the NBA.
The Lakers (48-30) can strengthen this impression on Tuesday if they attribute it to the host.
“All three people we have are elite offensive players,” said Lakers coach JJ Redick about Luka Doncic, LeBron James and Austin Reaves. “You can try your best night at night to find out where the weaknesses are and where you can create an advantage.”
In the 126-99 victory on Sunday, Doncic and Reaved for nine out of 22 3-cloaks in Los Angeles in Los Angeles.
“With the adding of Luka and the withdrawal of (Anthony Davis), her attack is becoming more and less in the interior,” said Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in Oklahoma.
Thunder trainer Mark Daigneult said there was a balancing act so as not to bring too much stock into the previous Matchup and at the same time try to learn something from it.
Oklahoma City (64-14) won the top seeds in the Western Conference almost three weeks ago. Although it won his next seven games after he had extended his winning streak to 11, the Thunder has fallen against each other for the second time this season.
“If you leave someone alone in the gym, you don’t usually shoot so well from 3,” said Daigneult. “So there is a shot element. But I also think that there is a focus element that we lacked in the game.”
Several Thunder players have recently announced that they are fighting human nature to prevent a break from getting into the post -season.
“Not to make it an excuse, but whether we win or lose, do not change, so of course it won’t change,” said Gilgeous-Alexander. “The challenge for every team is different, and the challenge is to ensure that we remain concentrated and continue to play with this feeling of urgency.”
Jalen Williams said the thunder only had to do what they did all season and do not overreact to the last two games.
“I don’t think it’s lost,” said Williams. “I don’t know that I can find it again. It is not lost.
With another victory, the thunder would set up the franchise record of individual oisons for victories and the 1995/96 team, which went at the Franchise in Seattle 64-18.
While the thunder can look forward to the post -season, Los Angeles still has a lot to play in the regular season.
The Lakers come in third place in the Western Conference, 3 1/2 games behind Houston for the second and 1 1/2 games in front of Denver to score third place in front of Denver. Four remaining games. You can be as high as second and as low as eighth.
Doncic said that the playoff-like environment in Oklahoma City, in combination with the competition race in the Western Conference, contributed to sharpening its focus.
“It is very difficult to play here,” said Doncic. “It is very difficult to win, but if you look at the overall ranking today, it is crazy in the West. It brings me out the spirit of competition.”
The game on Tuesday is the first of back-to-back for the Lakers, who will play on Wednesday in Dallas in Doncic’s first game since retail to the Lakers against Davis on February 2.
-Media on the Level field
