The Los Angeles Lakers reached the midpoint of the season with a 112-105 triumph over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Monday. In Game 41, Coach Darvin Ham reverted to the starting lineup from the season opener, featuring LeBron James and Anthony Davis alongside Austin Reaves, D’Angelo Russell, and Taurean Prince.
This starting configuration marked one of 11 different lineups Ham has utilized throughout the season, and he intends to stick with this combination. Ham explained, “Just wanted to put as much skill and shot-making on the floor around our two captains. And those five, they’ve been pretty much our most consistent guys throughout the season thus far. So just put them together. For the foreseeable future, that’s going to be our lineup, barring any type of injury.”
The Lakers’ record now stands at 20-21, with a 3-3 performance using this starting group. Last month, amid a post in-season tournament struggle, Ham adjusted the lineup to prioritize defense. However, Monday’s shift back to the initial lineup was prompted, in part, by Cam Reddish’s sore left knee.
“I think we can score,” remarked Davis about the five-man unit. “I think for us it’s just on the defensive end. Are we able to play defense how we did tonight? … I think the defense is what’s going to separate us and get us more wins.”
The Lakers limited the Thunder (27-12) to 41.7% shooting from the field and 30.6% from 3, accumulating 7 steals and 9 blocks as a team. Despite the defensive prowess, the Lakers struggled on the glass, allowing 13 offensive rebounds to OKC.
LeBron James, contributing 25 points, 7 rebounds, and 6 assists, emphasized the need for collective rebounding to support Davis, who posted 27 points and 15 rebounds. James stated, “Offensively we want to share the ball, not turn the ball over. AD’s always our focus offensively, getting him going early and often. And then defensively, we have to be on a string to help one another. And we have to help AD rebound. And when we do that, you know, we can be a pretty good five-man lineup.”
The team’s performance with this lineup will play a pivotal role in determining the franchise’s direction as the Feb. 8 trade deadline approaches. Coach Ham emphasized the need to focus on internal strengths, stating, “People talk about trades and this and that. No one’s sugarcoating anything. You have an opportunity to get better, you’re going take advantage of it. But that said, what we have in that locker room, we just need to buckle down, focus, take care of the details. We have more than enough in that locker room to make some things happen.”
