LeBron James brought a lot of fury and activity in the first half of the Los Angeles Lakers game on Friday night against the same Oklahoma City Thunder team they played on Tuesday in L.A. But his ferocious dunk in the first quarter of Friday night’s proceedings was only a taste of what was to come later in the first half.
James and Davis were again leading the way for the Lakers while the Thunder offense made the Lakers No. 1 ranked unit look very regular compared to the elite level they displayed in the first month of the regular season. Down by four points, the Lakers closed the first half with a crucial 3-pointer created by an Odell Beckham Jr.-type catch by LeBron and a pass to Kentavious Caldwell-Pope for a buzzer-beating 3-pointer.
Caldwell-Pope has been a monster over the last three games as he has started in place of the injured Avery Bradley, which continued into Friday night. Caldwell-Pope had nine points and two assists in the starting role. Kyle Kuzma also had 10 points off the bench playing through an eye abrasion.
But despite LeBron’s heroism and the other solid offensive play, the Lakers find themselves in a rare position for this season: trailing on the road in a hostile environment, 67-66.
