Source: New York Post
LOS ANGELES — Regardless of what came beforehand or what’ll come afterwards — and the Lakers didn’t have much time to dwell on Monday’s loss to the Thunder since they host the Spurs Tuesday night — a matchup against the defending NBA champions will always be a measuring stick game in their quest to contend for a title. Their blowout victory and narrow defeat in back-to-back games to the Thunder last April showed they had what it took to compete with, and beat, anyone when they’re focused because of their high-end talent. The blowout defeat earlier this season in November in Oklahoma City, with the Lakers missing LeBron James but the Thunder being without Jalen Williams, showed the Lakers, at the time, they lacked the requisite physicality and energy to compete with a team on the Thunder’s level.
