On Monday night, the Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder 116-104. Anthony Davis added 24 points and 12 rebounds, while D’Angelo Russell scored 26 points and drained five 3-pointers.

LeBron James contributed 19 points, 11 rebounds, and 8 assists to help the Lakers win their tenth straight game. Austin Reaves led the Lakers to victory in the season series with 16 points, including four 3-pointers, as they defeated the Thunder, who were leading the Western Conference, for the third consecutive meeting.

“You can’t relax because they’re so well-coached,” said Russell. “That team is equipped with all it needs to be successful and perform well at this level. You have to be ready to engage in play with those males. It’s no accident that you beat them.

After scoring his career-high forty thousand points in a loss to Denver, James was poised for a triple-double in his first game back, but the Lakers’ decisive advantage kept him out of the last six minutes. Davis was able to sit out the whole fourth quarter because the Lakers made six consecutive 3-pointers to extend their lead to 25 points while he was out.

To culminate the exciting Lakers comeback, Russell added more flair to his three-pointers on three consecutive plays.

Russell said, “My teammates find me when I’m hot.” “When I can stretch the floor in that way, it’s easier. That’s what happens when you shoot. It’s fun.

Russell passed to James before to his third 3-pointer with 9:06 remaining, but James promptly got the ball back for a shot that left Russell lying flat on his back as a result of unauthorized defensive contact. The shot gave James a standing ovation and put the Lakers ahead 103-79.

“I didn’t know I made the shot,” said Russell. “I kind of tossed it up there,” the fortunate hitman said.

With 20 points in the end, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the Thunder, who had only suffered a loss in nine games. His record of eight consecutive 30-point games was broken by this. Lu Dort and Chet Holmgren each scored fifteen points.

“Our offensive performance was strong at first, but overall we just lacked sharpness,” Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said. “We turned them over multiple times, which allowed us to stay in the game defensively. Not our fastball, though, tonight. To put it plainly, I felt that our offensive wit was lacking a bit. We didn’t hit shots often enough, even though it’s imperative against a team so large and physically strong.

Oklahoma City made a season-low 30.6% of its shots in the first half of its three-game road trip, which included a demanding victory at Phoenix on Sunday. Oklahoma City was playing on rather fatigued legs.

According to Reaves, “They’re coming off a tough back-to-back.” Nonetheless, it speaks much about your ability to play both offensively and defensively anytime you can confidently overcome a team of caliber going into the fourth. It gives you some energy going forward and feels great to defeat a team like theirs that has been playing great basketball.

Neither side was performing at its peak during the first half. The Thunder immediately took a 12-point lead despite making 12 mistakes, but then they went on a 2-for-21 shooting slump that allowed the Lakers to establish a double-digit advantage.

Jaylin Williams, a large player for Oklahoma City, missed his second straight game due to injuries to his left knee. After joining the Thunder from Detroit, Mike Muscala scored five points in eleven minutes in his first game back.

Harry Giles III made his Lakers debut in the final minutes.