Lakers player grades: LeBron, Avery Bradley lead blowout of Thunder
The Los Angeles Lakers bounced back and defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder Friday, 116-95.
The Lakers, playing without Anthony Davis, jumped to a 32-18 lead after one quarter thanks to a strong showing from behind the arc. L.A. hit 5-of-6 shots from downtown, with Avery Bradley knocking down two catch-and-shoot looks.
Los Angeles then grew the lead to 25 in the second as the hot shooting persisted, while the Thunder couldn’t buy a basket. However, the momentum eventually went their way when LeBron James and Austin Reaves left the floor; OKC trimmed the lead to 13 after a 12-0 run. But James and Reaves returned shortly after to make it 64-45 at the half.
L.A. didn’t unravel in the third quarter; instead, it pushed the lead to 29 as James and Bradley continued to punish OKC from deep. The Thunder cut the lead to 17 in the final quarter, but Los Angeles managed to close it out to win by 21 points.
Here is how the Lakers, now 14-13, graded individually from the win:
Russell Westbrook: C-plus
Russell Westbrook had another quiet night on the scoring end but helped out in other ways. He finished with eight points, nine rebounds and seven assists, though he had five bad turnovers. Two ugly ones came in the fourth when his drive-and-kick passes sailed into the stands.
Westbrook also should’ve taken more charge of the matchup with Tre Mann. Westbrook had post-up opportunities on the rookie, but he didn’t look too aggressive most of the night.
Avery Bradley: A-plus
Bradley rightfully earns his best grade of the season after delivering his best performance so far this year. Bradley had the green light from the first quarter and finished with a 6-of-8 clip from downtown en route to a 22-point night. He also made nice cuts to the rim for baskets.
Bradley also had a phenomenal night on defense. His point-of-attack aggressiveness shut down players like Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Josh Giddey, leading to four steals in 26 minutes.
This performance comes after Bradley shot 2-of-2 from deep against the Memphis Grizzlies, so he’s on a nice run here.
Talen Horton-Tucker gets a solid above-average grade. He didn’t force shots and converted the ones he took efficiently. He shot 4-of-7 overall and 2-of-3 from deep, with both triples coming on catch-and-shoot looks. If he can continue to bump his 3-point average, it’ll keep defenses honest when the stars handle the ball.
The young wing added three rebounds, two assists and a steal.
LeBron James: A-plus
LeBron eclipsed 30 points before the fourth quarter even started. No one on the Thunder roster can guard him, and he proved that tonight in his first matchup of the year against the young squad. James finished with 33 points, his fifth 30-point outing in the last seven games, six assists, five rebounds, three steals and two blocks.
He shot 13-of-20 overall and 4-of-6 from deep in an extremely efficient night. He controlled the game every time he played, ensuring L.A. didn’t lose the lead.
Dwight Howard: B-minus
Dwight Howard replaced Davis in the starting lineup but didn’t need to do much scoring. He attempted just one field goal and finished with eight rebounds and an assist with one point. He fought for 50-50 balls, even though he didn’t always win possession. Howard would’ve needed to produce more against a more talented opponent, but that wasn’t the case tonight.
Austin Reaves: A
Reaves was LeBron’s Robin in the second quarter. His energy, ball movement, positioning and rim penetration all opened up the offense in that period. He finished with 13 points, five rebounds and two assists on 4-of-7 shooting overall and 4-of-4 from the free-throw line.
The undrafted rookie solidified himself as a rotational piece after being out of it lately because an injury set him back. He didn’t get an A-plus because he passed out of too many opportunities that didn’t always result in a better look, but he had a tremendous night.
Carmelo Anthony: C
Carmelo Anthony had a terrible night from beyond the arc, but he chipped in with free throws, passing and solid defense. He shot 1-of-6 from deep but made all four free-throw attempts. The defensive matchups were better suited for him tonight than against the Grizzlies.
Wayne Ellington: C
Wayne Ellington attempted eight triples and made three. A 37.5% clip is certainly solid on that volume, but he made one late in that game that boosted his percentage. Before that make, he was 2-of-7 (28.5%), which changes the complexion of his performance. Still, Ellington looked more aggressive in getting a shot up, which was good to see.
Malik Monk: D
Malik Monk had a forgettable night. His shot didn’t fall (2-of-9 FG, 1-of-6 3P), so when that isn’t going, it’s difficult for him to stay on the court. He played just 18 minutes and didn’t make the impact he could’ve.
DeAndre Jordan: N/A
DeAndre Jordan had just two small stints in meaningful minutes before closing the game in garbage time. His only basket was a dunk in the third quarter on a lob from Westbrook. He also attempted a mid-range jumper near the end of the first quarter, but he didn’t play enough minutes to warrant a grade.
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