The Los Angeles Lakers and Oklahoma City Thunder have been trending in different directions recently.
The Thunder have surged, entering Saturday’s game against the Lakers in Oklahoma City having won three consecutive games and 15 of their past 20.
The Lakers, though, have faltered, dropping four consecutive games and five of their past six.
“There’s going to be ups, there’s going to be downs. Right now we’re in that down period,” Lakers star Anthony Davis said of the team’s struggles since winning the in-season tournament Dec. 9.
“We just got to continue to fight and continue to play hard. Play with some effort, some energy and we’re treating Saturday as a must win.”
The Lakers are hoping to be back to full strength Saturday after LeBron James (left ankle) and Gabe Vincent (left knee) missed Thursday’s loss at Minnesota.
Part of the Lakers’ recent issues has been the struggles of guard D’Angelo Russell.
Going into December, Russell was averaging 17.6 points per game and shooting 49.1 percent from the floor and 41.8 percent from beyond the arc.
Since the beginning of December, Russell is averaging just 9.8 points and shooting 37.5 percent from the floor and 27.5 percent from beyond the arc.
“I’ve just gotta be better,” Russell said. “No excuses.”
Russell did score 17 points in Thursday’s 118-111 loss to the host Minnesota Timberwolves but was just 7-for-19 from the floor.
“When I’m not making shots and things like that, it’s not relevant to our success,” Russell said. “We need guys that are going to make shots. We need guys that are going to get stops. And if I’m not making shots, they’re going to depend on me just to get a stop. That’s where I work, that’s where I try to be better, but it’s not what I do.”
Saturday’s game is the second of four meetings between the teams this season.
The Thunder won the first 133-110 Nov. 30 in Oklahoma City.
Rookie Chet Holmgren scored 18 points and had five rebounds and two steals in that game.
Holmgren is coming off one of his best games of the season.
In Thursday’s 134-115 win over the Clippers, he was 9 of 11 from the field, making all eight of his shots inside the arc. Holmgren finished with 23 points, six rebounds and a season-high seven assists.
“He’s smart,” teammate Shai Gilgeous-Alexander said of Holmgren. “He’s a student of the game, always wants to learn. So he’s gonna get better at reading the game every game he plays.”
In Thursday’s game, Holmgren sparked Oklahoma City’s deciding 13-0 run by passing the ball off the glass to himself for a dunk.
“We don’t work on that,” Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said. “That’s not part of his player development. He’s just rocking.”
Holmgren has shot 50 percent or better from the floor in six consecutive games.
The Thunder lost a couple of starters, Josh Giddey and Jalen Williams, to ankle injuries in Thursday’s win over the Clippers.
Giddey didn’t return while Williams eventually came back. Giddey has been ruled out for the game against the Lakers.
–Field Level Media