""You want me to compare us to them? That's a championship team right there. We're not," James told reporters. "We can't sustain energy and effort for 48 minutes, and they can. That's why they won a championship.""
""I think when you play the best teams -- and Oklahoma City is clearly -- you know, you have to have a really high level of effort and you have to have a really high level of execution," Lakers coach JJ Redick said. "It's got to be both, and I thought for the most part our effort was fantastic. In key stretches of the game, our execution wasn't great.""
Oklahoma City beat the Lakers 119-110 as both teams played without key stars. Luka Dončić and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander sat out, forcing reliance on supporting casts in a physical game that produced 52 combined free throws. The Lakers led 99-98 with 7:24 remaining before the Thunder closed on a 21-11 run, keyed by Jalen Williams, who scored 10 points in the final five minutes and finished with 23. LeBron James scored 22, including 14 in the second half, but noted the Lakers' inability to sustain energy and execution for 48 minutes.
Read at ESPN.com
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