Lakers-Thunder recap: Lakers use late run to force OT, steal win
The Los Angeles Lakers stole a win from the jaws of defeat on Monday night as they went into overtime for the second straight night, beating the Oklahoma City Thunder, 119-112. LeBron James had a triple-double of 28 points, 14 rebounds, and 12 assists on Monday night as the Lakers used an 8-0 run to take a 3-point lead in the fourth quarter. Were it not for a late foul by Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, the Lakers may have not needed overtime but Shai Gilgeous-Alexander made all three of his free-throws to force an extra five minutes.
What ensued in the extra period was a Lakers domination, winning the overtime 9-2 as the Thunder could not shake the drought that plagued them in the final two minutes of regulation. With the win, the Lakers improved to 6-4 at home on the season and they escaped with a win against an OKC team they’ve already blown out this season and will face again later this week.
Vogel keeping guys in the mix
Kirby Lee-A TODAY Sports
With Anthony Davis sitting out of Monday night's game, Frank Vogel had a rare opportunity to be able to give minutes to a couple of veterans who have recently found themselves on the outside of the Lakers rotation. Vogel gave the start on Monday night to Markieff Morris and then rode guard Wesley Matthews in the final minutes of L.A.'s comeback victory over Oklahoma City. Although Vogel has clearly loved playing Talen Horton-Tucker, he knows that he will eventually need Matthews and Morris to deliver when the chips are down. Tonight's game was yet another example that Vogel knows how to use every moment of the NBA season to form a championship contender.
