The Lakers made a franchise-changing deal on Thursday, sending Larry Nance Jr. and Jordan Clarkson to the Cleveland Cavaliers for Isaiah Thomas, Channing Frye and a 2018 first-round draft pick. The move clears enough cap space for the Lakers to pursue two max-contract free agents this offseason, including Paul George (reportedly the Lakers’ primary target) who currently plays for the Thunder, tonight’s Laker opponent.

Los Angeles looked a bit shell-shocked early in the first quarter, falling behind 19-8 while allowing George to start 5-of-5 and tally 16 points in the first. Perhaps the Lakers were complacent due to the fact that the Thunder were playing without Russell Westbrook and Carmelo Anthony, or maybe they were simply emotionally drained from saying goodbye to close teammates Nance Jr. and Clarkson, regardless, they clearly were not prepared to compete early on. They were able to rouse themselves from their slumber to go on a 22-8 run to close the period and take a 30-27 lead.

The Lakers, who lead the league with over 53 points in the paint per game, scored a remarkable 26 points in the paint in the first quarter alone.

Although the game was within six points at the half, it didn’t feel like it as the Lakers were only keeping the Thunder within reach due to abhorrent shooting and lack of execution. The Lakers converted only 7-of-23 second quarter shots and forgot to attack the paint, scoring only two points in the key.

Los Angeles was able to regain its composure at the half, beginning the third period with a 22-11 run to extend their lead to 17 points.

The Lakers never looked back, taking advantage of the injuries to the Thunder, to easily dispatch their opponent by a final score of 106-81.

Five players scored in double-figures for the Lakers led by Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, who finished with 20 points, seven rebounds, one assist and one steal while shooting 7-of-10 from the field, 3-of-3 from the free throw line and 3-of-5 from 3-point range.

Julius Randle continued his string of strong performances with 17 points, six rebounds, two assists and one block on 8-of-16 from the floor.

Josh Hart had his impressive streak of double-doubles as a starter snapped, mostly due to the game being shortened by garbage time. He accumulated another solid stat line with 10 points, eight rebounds, five assists, one steal and one block.

Brandon Ingram had an efficient outing with 19 points, two rebounds, six assists and one steal while knocking down 7-of-11 from the field and 3-of-4 from 3-point range. He continues to excel as a distributor for the Lakers and has really blossomed in Lonzo Ball’s absence.

Kyle Kuzma also took advantage of his extra opportunities this evening to collect 16 points, nine rebounds, two assists, one steal and two blocks. He did however struggle with his shot, making only 6-of-15 from the field and 2-of-8 from 3-point range.

The Thunder were extremely short-handed tonight without Westbrook and Anthony — it showed. George led the way with 29 points, nine rebounds, three assists, two steals and one block. He appeared to wear down as the game went on as his shot stopped falling and he turned the ball over six times. During the game, a “we want George” chant broke out among fans in anticipation of the Lakers’ pursuit of the star this summer.

The win gives the Lakers 12-of-16, four in a row, and eight consecutive home victories.

Key Stats and Observations

• After starting 5-of-5 from the field, George made only 6-of-20 the rest of the game.
• Oklahoma City really missed Westbrook, managing to shoot just 32-of-90 from the field (35.6 percent) compared to the Lakers who shot 42-of-96 (43.8 percent).
• The Thunder also struggled from the line, making 9-of-19 (47.4 percent) from the free throw line vs. the Lakers who shot a stellar 12-of-13 (92.3 percent) from the charity stripe.
• Due to the poor shooting, there were a lot of rebounds to go around with Oklahoma City corralling 64 rebounds and Los Angeles gathering 59 rebounds.
• Los Angeles had a 28-16 assist advantage over Oklahoma City.
• The Lakers committed only eight turnovers compared to 14 for the Thunder.
• Los Angeles continued their season-long domination in the paint, scoring 58 points in the paint vs. 42 points for Oklahoma City.

Up Next

The Lakers (23-31) head to Dallas to take on the Mavericks (17-38) on Saturday.

Los Angeles will have only one day off to welcome their two new players, Thomas and Frye, and may not have enough of a chance to get them acclimated enough to play a significant role in the upcoming game.

Lonzo Ball will not be available for the game, but is ramping up his activities and nearing a return to the court for the Lakers.

The Mavericks are led by 20-year NBA veteran Dirk Nowitzki, who is coming off a 16-point, 11-rebound, five-steal and two-block performance.