EL SEGUNDO, Calif. – The South Bay Lakers collapsed in the fourth quarter, allowing the Oklahoma City Blue to overcome a 24-point deficit and defeat the Lakers 105-101 on Monday night at the UCLA Health Training Center.
The Oklahoma City Blue narrowed the deficit to two points after trailing by 14 with just under five minutes remaining. The Lakers struggled to maintain their momentum due to costly turnovers.
Miller Kopp hit a three-pointer in front of the Lakers bench with 26.7 seconds remaining, giving Oklahoma City a 99-98 lead. Bronny James had the chance to take the lead with just under 15 seconds left but ended up shooting an airball from the top of the key. Moments later, James drilled a contested 28-foot three-pointer, cutting the lead to two points with just two seconds to go.
The South Bay Lakers were unable to stop the Blue for the second game in a row.
After scoring 31 points for the South Bay Lakers ten days ago, James was called up by the Los Angeles Lakers to join them on their Grammy road trip for the final three games. He was in the starting lineup on Monday night against the Oklahoma City Blue, following the Lakers’ 34-point loss to the Blue on Saturday.
James quickly got the game underway by scoring the first two points with a mid-range jumper. He then assisted Grayson Murphy, who made an open three-pointer from the wing. Despite being on the road for the past week, James lacked energy on the court. He capped off the first quarter by sinking his first three-pointer of the game.
James finished with 16 points, three rebounds and collected five assists on 5 of 17 from the field. James talked after the game about what changed in the fourth which flipped the result of the game.
“I think it was the energy,” James said.
I asked Bronny James after the game what he could have done better on a night when the Lakers blew a 24-point lead.
— Fredo Cervantes (@FredoCervantes) February 4, 2025
“I felt like I could've gave more effort on the defensive end,” James said. @SportingTrib pic.twitter.com/k75q04rMmn
Christian Koloko discussed how traveling with the Lakers affected their performance in the fourth quarter. He finished the game with eight points and six assists.
Coach Zach Guthrie made significant improvements against the Blue on Monday. With additional resources at his disposal, the Lakers dominated the first half, building a lead of as much as 24 points. The defense played a crucial role as they successfully limited Buddy Boeheim to just seven points in the game, following his impressive 30-point performance on Saturday, where he made 10 three-pointers.
It was a cold night for Boeheim, who made only 1 of 8 attempts from beyond the arc and finished with seven points. After the Blue team scored 75 bench points on Saturday, the Lakers limited them to just 29 bench points on Monday night.
In the second half, Coach Guthrie was not pleased with the team's performance. The Blue started strong in the third quarter, scoring 31 points, and followed that with 30 points in the fourth quarter. However, the lead shrank to just four early in the fourth. The Lakers then responded, pushing the lead back to 14 points with just over five minutes remaining in the game.
Quincy Olivari led the Lakers with 23 points, including five made three-pointers in the game. Jordan Goodwin had a less efficient night, shooting 6 of 16 from the field and scoring 14 points, along with nine rebounds and three assists.
The Lakers are heading to Salt Lake City for their next game on Wednesday night, aiming to end their current three-game losing streak.