NBA highlights on Dec. 23: James must possess Lazarus Pit, that's why he dominates OKC at 39

The Los Angeles Lakers beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 129-120 at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, on Saturday, ending their latest four-game losing streak.

LeBron James, who is eight days away from turning 39 years old, shot 13-for-20 from the field, including 5-for-5 from downtown, and 9-for-9 at the free throw line to drop season-high 40 points in addition to seven rebounds, seven assists, two steals and two blocks for the Lakers. Thirty of his points were scored in the second half, including 15 in the fourth quarter to shut down the opponents' rally.

Perhaps in middle of the 1,448 regular season and 282 playoff games that James has played in over 20 seasons, he must have gone to the DC Universe and brought back the Lazarus Pit to keep him younger than his actual age.

The Lakers have been one of NBA's worst 3-point-shooting teams this season. Coach Darvin Ham replaced D'Angelo Russell with Jarred Vanderbilt for Saturday's game. This move seemingly further hurt the team's spacing since Vanderbilt poses no offensive threat outside the paint, but it enhanced the starting lineup's defensive performance, especially the aggression. The purple and gold limited the Thunder to 48.4 percent (46-for-95) in field goals (FGs) and led 16-6 in fast break points by exploiting James' superb ability of forcing early offense.

Anthony Davis contributed a double-double of 26 points and 11 rebounds for the Lakers plus two blocks for the Lakers. His defensive and finishing performance were as reliable as always, but Davis also made good use of the opponents' policy of double-teaming him in the low posts to continuously find open teammates outside. He delivered seven assists by doing so. Cam Reddish did a surprisingly good job in playmaking as well with seven assists.

Having Russell play off the bench not only hid him as a defensive weak link, but also improved the firepower of the Lakers' backup unit. He, Rui Hachimura and Austin Reaves together knocked down eight triples out of 16 attempts to get 47 points, outscoring their Thunder counterpart by 21 points. Reaves also had nine assists, filling in James' role as an orchestrator so the veteran could take a breath from time to time.

The Thunder trailed by as many as 26 points (101-75) in the third quarter. They were not caught off guard by the opponents' defensive policy which was very similar to their own: double-teaming Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (SGA) when he broke deep into the paint at the cost of leaving his teammates open, especially in the perimeter.

The difference between the two teams on Saturday night was that the Lakers made shots at the 3-point line after their players received the ball from Davis and James; the Thunder missed too many open shots. Chet Holmgren, Lugentz Dort, Cason Wallace and Isaiah Joe missed 17 of their 22 triple attempts.

SGA and Jalen Williams both tried to take over the Thunder's offense in the second half by getting 15 and 12 points respectively in the third and the fourth quarters, but they failed to pool their efforts. Holmgren left quite some highlights on defense and the offensive glass, but he is still too young to challenge Davis.

Other games on Saturday (away teams come first):

Boston Celtics 145-108 Los Angeles Clippers

Lacking Kristaps Porzingis didn't seem to weaken the Celtics' perimeter firepower at all because the team made as many as 25 triples out of 53 attempts to smash the Clippers at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, California. In fact, not only did they tear the opponents apart from the outside, they also dominated their board with 15 offensive rebounds. Neemias Queta grabbed six by himself to contribute a double-double of 14 points and 12 rebounds.

The absence of Kawhi Leonard had a lethal impact on the Clippers, which lost both of their past two games without him. They had no one to beat the opponents' defense with individual attack and no one to shut down the opponents' ace with trustworthy defense in one-on-one possessions.

Memphis Grizzlies 125-119 Atlanta Hawks

The Grizzlies secured their third straight win at State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia, on Saturday, since Ja Morant finished his 25-game suspension. He and Desmond Bane combined to score 67 points and 17 assists. Bismack Biyombo joined hands with Vince Williams Jr. to dominate the board with 22 rebounds, including nine on the offensive glass. Jaren Jackson Jr. struggled to stay on the court with foul trouble, but he went 8-for-10 from the field to get 20 points.

The home loss eclipsed Trae Young's career night. He had 30 points and 13 assists for the Hawks, posing a double-double of at least 30 points and 10 assists for seven consecutive games and tying the NBA's all-time longest record of such kept by Oscar Robertson.

Milwaukee Bucks 130-111 New York Knicks

Denver Nuggets 102-95 Charlotte Hornets

Orlando Magic 117-110 Indiana Pacers

Houston Rockets 106-104 New Orleans Pelicans

Detroit Pistons 115-126 Brooklyn Nets

Utah Jazz 126-119 Toronto Raptors

Cleveland Cavaliers 109-95 Chicago Bulls

San Antonio Spurs 119-144 Dallas Mavericks

Portland Trail Blazers 106-126 Golden State Warriors

Minnesota Timberwolves 110-98 Sacramento Kings