- James was 13 of 20 from the field and hit five 3-pointers without a miss
- The Lakers defeated the Thunder 129-120 to snap their four-game skid on Saturday
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LeBron James scored a season-high 40 points to help the Los Angeles Lakers break their losing streak.
The Lakers finally ended their four-game skid on Saturday night with a 129-120 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder.
The 38-year-old James went 13 of 20 from the field, hitting five three-pointers without a miss and making all nine free throws. He also had seven rebounds, seven assists and two blocks.
Oklahoma City cut its 26-point deficit with 3:32 left in the third quarter to eight points midway through the fourth quarter. James then took over, scoring 11 points in the final 4:29 to help the Lakers hang on.
“Knowing that I can go out there and still make game-winning plays, impact the game in multiple ways and still close out a game in the fourth quarter like our team needed when they started making a run is always a good feeling. ' said James.
LeBron James scored a season-high 40 points against the Thunder on Saturday night
The 38-year-old helped the Los Angeles Lakers snap their skid in four games in Oklahoma City
Anthony Davis, who had called this a must-win game, added 26 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists for the Lakers. Rui Hachimura scored 21 points and Austin Reaves had 11 points and nine assists for Los Angeles, which had gone 1-5 since winning the In-Season Tournament.
The Lakers shot 52.2 percent and had a season-high 37 assists to just nine turnovers.
“Everyone was making shots and everyone was passing the ball,” James said. 'We tried to keep the ball on time and on target and not turn the ball over. That was the key to that.'
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 34 points for Oklahoma City. Jalen Williams added 28 and Chet Holmgren had 19 points and 10 rebounds. The Thunder had won three in a row and five of six.
Hachimura scored 16 points in the first half to help Los Angeles take a 71-59 lead at halftime. The Lakers shot 60 percent from the field in the first two quarters.
The Thunder called a timeout after James hit a 3-pointer with the 7-foot-1 Holmgren in the face early in the third, giving the Lakers a 78-64 lead. James hit another three-pointer and then lobbed to Davis for a powerful two-handed dunk that gave the Lakers a 90-70 lead and forced another timeout for Oklahoma City.
James went 13 of 20 from the field and had seven rebounds, seven assists and two blocks
Reaves hit a three-pointer, was fouled and made the free throw with about four minutes left in the third, giving the Lakers a 98-75 lead. Los Angeles took a 107-91 lead in the fourth.
The Thunder cut the deficit to single digits midway through the final period before the Lakers held on. James' corner three after a Gilgeous-Alexander closeout put the Lakers ahead 123-110 with 3:26 to play.
“They came out as a team desperate for a win,” Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said.
“I didn't think we came out bad, sloppy, soft or anything like that, but we just didn't step it up to the level we needed to, especially in that first half. And we let them kind of get into a groove. And I thought this was really the game. So it's a good lesson for us.'