EL SEGUNDO, Calif. — The Lakers blew out the Oklahoma City Thunder, 128-99, to complete a three-game sweep on their quick road trip. Here are three takeaways from Wednesday’s game:
1. That didn’t take long. The Lakers needed all of three weeks to set a team record.
They were supposed to be exhausted after a short off-season but became the first team in the franchise’s 73-year history to win its first seven road games.
The road isn’t what it used to be for obvious COVID-19 reasons. There are no screaming crowds, no rushes of momentum for the home team, nothing at all like the first half of last season…or any season, really.
Road teams league-wide are having more success than usual but there’s still a travel element involved — different time zones while sleeping in unfamiliar hotel beds and eating hotel food or, indeed, chowing down at the arena.
The Lakers don’t care. In fact, maybe they prefer the road. They’re a less enthralling 3-3 at Staples Center this season.
“We just have a bunker mentality on the road,” LeBron James told reporters after Wednesday’s game. “When we’re on the road, we understand it’s going to be challenging and different, allowing us to zero in even more.”
2. Apologies in advance. This will be bad news for the rest of the NBA.
James is on another one of his hot streaks from three-point range. As if he needed more ways to score, more ammo in his arsenal.
James made 5 of 8 from 3-point range Wednesday, beating up on the Thunder the easy way.
He was almost as effective from deep the previous night while making 4 of 9 against Houston, including one from 29 feet.
For all his gifts on the court, James has never been considered a three-point shooter. He can drive, he can dunk, he can hand out assists, and he can defend, but he’ll never get invited to the three-point contest during All-Star weekend.
But he can get hot in a hurry behind the arc, a trend that sometimes lasts more than a couple of games.
At any rate, he finished with 26 points in 27 minutes against Oklahoma City. The rest of the league has been warned.
3. Does Montrezl Harrell ever relax?
Does he actually close his eyes at night or choose instead to crash through cardboard cut-outs of an upcoming opponent?
The guy never rests, never quits, never gives up on a play.
He was all over the court Wednesday, finishing with 21 points while continually bullying his way past Thunder defenders. The chart of the shots he made was almost comical, a mass of circles directly by the basket — layup, layup, layup, dunk, layup, layup, layup, layup.
He’s been a force in just a short time with the Lakers. It’s early yet, but he’s already one of the favorites to win sixth man of the year.
Of course, that would be a repeat performance for him after winning the award last season with the Clippers.