A night after staging a double-digit comeback without LeBron James, the Lakers showed on Wednesday how desperate they are to have him back.
Los Angeles blew a 26-point lead to the previously winless Thunder, losing 123-115 as James missed his second straight game. Oklahoma City outscored the Lakers 67-43 in the second half, shooting 40.5% from deep for the game. The win tied the Thunder’s largest comeback in franchise history.
In his return to Oklahoma City, Lakers point guard Russell Westbrook notched his first triple-double of the season but also had 10 turnovers. It was Westbrook’s sixth game with 10 turnovers and a triple-double. Only James Harden (three times) has pulled off that feat more than once.
James missed his second straight game after injuring his right ankle during Sunday’s 121-118 home win over the Grizzlies, which was the Lakers’ first victory of the season. In three games with James this season, Westbrook averaged 12.0 points, 8.7 assists and 7.7 rebounds per game on just 34.9% shooting from the field. He’s averaged a triple-double in two games without James, upping his shooting percentage to 48.9%.
It’s unclear how much time James will miss, but the Lakers can’t afford to be without him for long. James injured the same ankle last season and was limited to just 45 games. The Lakers went 12-15 in his absence, eventually finishing with the seventh-best record in the Western Conference.
The Lakers play next on Friday at home against the Cavaliers, then back-to-back games against the Rockets before hosting Oklahoma City.
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