No one saw this coming..
Which one is more surprising: The fact that the 22-42 Lakers defeated the best team in the West? Or that Lakers guard Jodie Meeks dropped 42 points on the Thunder? Either way you go isn’t a bad choice.
The Lakers picked up an unexpected 114-110 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder in Los Angeles. The Thunder had no answer for Meeks as he scored 24 of his career-high 42 points in the second half as he shot 11-18 from the field with six threes and a perfect 14-14 from the free throw line. Meeks’ incredible performance had the Staples Center crowd in an uproar as he put on a show for Lakers fans.
Even more alarming than Meeks basically defeating the Thunder by himself, the Lakers went on a 36 point swing in today’s contest vs the Thunder. After trailing by 18 points in the second quarter, the Lakers flipped the score and went on a ridiculous run as they outscored the Thunder 36-19 in the third. The Thunder put themselves back in the game late into the fourth quarter, but they couldn’t slow down Meeks and the hot Lakers squad.
Pau Gasol also had a great game as he finished with 20 points and 11 rebounds for the Lakers. Kent Bazemore continues to be a welcome addition to the Lakers roster as he finished the game with 11 points and some late baskets. For the Thunder, Kevin Durant recorded his third triple-double of the season as he finished the game with 27 points, 10 rebounds and 12 assists. Russell Westbrook added 20 points but shot an awful 7-23 from the field.
Remember when Durant was on a legendary scoring tear before Westbrook returned? Seems like those days are over as Westbrook launched an airball from three followed by another brick as the Thunder were down five points with a minute and 30 seconds to go in the game. It’s extremely alarming that one of the best scorers in NBA history doesn’t even get a chance to win the game because of Westbrook heaving shots.
The Thunder still have the top record in the Western Conference, so we will leave this disappointing loss to the Lakers as a small bump in the road of an 82 game schedule. The Thunder will face the Houston Rockets Tuesday night in Oklahoma City, and the Lakers will be in action next in a rematch against the Thunder on Thursday night in Oklahoma City.
-Patrick Hazel (@pattywack25)
