The Los Angeles Lakers again were saddled by poor shooting from deep and it amounted to a 105-86 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on the first night of back-to-back.
The Lakers’ habit of slow starts in the bubble continued against the Thunder, but great defense managed to keep them in it. Five minutes into the first quarter, L.A. managed just seven points to OKC’s 10.
The starting lineup of Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Danny Green, LeBron James, Anthony Davis and JaVale McGee has struggled mightily in the bubble to get points early on. The initial substitutions remained the same as usual, with Kyle Kuzma and Alex Caruso replacing James and McGee, coming at the six minute mark with the Thunder leading 13-10.