Collapse in two quarters! The Lakers were defeated by 29 points. Three major facts were recognized in this game. Alexander was stable.

Who would have thought that the focus of the showdown between the Lakers and Thunder would be like this. The Lakers have performed well so far this season. Even without James, they still have a record of 8 wins and 3 losses, ranking at the forefront of the Western Conference. On the opposite side, the Thunder were singing all the way to the league's first record. This matchup was the Lakers' first tough battle this season, and it was also a key battle to test the quality of their lineup. However, they never expected that the game would become one-sided in just two quarters, and the Lakers collapsed and suffered a 29-point defeat. Two quarters collapsed! The Lakers were defeated by 29 points. Three major facts were recognized in this game, and Alexander was stable.

Let’s briefly review the process of the game: the two teams were able to maintain a stalemate at the beginning of the first quarter, but then the Lakers’ offensive end experienced a power outage, and the Thunder seized the opportunity to create a small climax, and the point difference quickly reached double digits. In the second quarter, the Lakers' offense still did not pick up well; the Thunder gradually widened the point difference, and the lead reached 32 points at the end of the half. It only took two quarters to defeat the Lakers. In the second half, the Lakers still failed to recover. Neither the starting lineup nor the bench lineup could limit the Thunder on both offense and defense. In the end, the score difference widened even further. With half a quarter left in the game, the Lakers chose to admit defeat early and switch to a rotating lineup. In the end, they also suffered a 29-point defeat on the road.

This scene presents a one-sided situation. There are three major facts that can be seen. First, the Thunder are definitely the only one in the league, and Alexander's MVP is guaranteed. The Thunder have a record of 12 wins and 1 loss so far this season. They only lost an upset to the Trail Blazers. In the remaining games, they defeated strong teams in the Western Conference such as the Lakers, Warriors, Rockets, etc. This was achieved even though the team was plagued by injuries and many players were absent. So far this season, they rank fifth in the league in scoring with 122.5 points per game, rank first in the league in points conceded with 107 points per game, and rank first in the league in steals with 10.8 steals per game. It has to be said that this group of young people can run, jump, grab, defend, and break fast during the game. The lineup is very deep.

Alexander is the core of this young Thunder. So far this season, he has averaged 32.5 points, 5.2 rebounds, 6.6 assists, 1.3 steals and 1 block in the face of targeted defenses and double-teams from other teams. This is MVP-level performance. If the team can maintain this performance this season and Alexander has such personal data, then winning the MVP will be a sure bet.

The second fact is that the Lakers need James. In previous games, the Lakers performed well under the leadership of Doncic and Reeves. The team has achieved a good record, and it has been reported that even if the Lakers do not have James, they are still expected to achieve better results this season. However, facing the only top team in the league like the Thunder, it can be seen that the Lakers still need James. After all, James' impact on the opponent's basket and control of the ball on the offensive end are still lacking in the Lakers.

The third point is that the Lakers' current inside line still has shortcomings. Ayton, whom the team has acquired so far this season, has performed outstandingly, scoring double-doubles in many games. He has averaged 15 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 0.9 assists per game so far this season. The efficiency is also quite high. However, when facing the Thunder, Ayton's buttery hands and various mistakes in the interior can still be seen. Hayes also has its own problems. When facing weak teams, the inside composition of Ayton + Hayes is sufficient. However, when facing the league's top teams, the Lakers' inside line is still somewhat deficient. Will the Lakers consider strengthening the inside line through lineup adjustments in the future? This is a point worthy of attention.

Although they lost the game, the Lakers still have a record of 8 wins and 4 losses, ranking at the top of the Western Conference standings. Another good news is that James has been transferred to the G League for training and will return in the near future. We will wait and see what kind of performance the complete Lakers will perform by then.