Follow usThe LA Lakers in the same sentence with the defending NBA champ OKC?
LeBron James doesn’t think like that.
With the league scoring leader, Luka Doncic, and reigning league MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander both missing out on the match with injuries, the hosts, Los Angeles and Oklahoma City, relied on their supporting players last night to play an OKC-style physical match, featuring 52 combined free throws.
After the Thunder triumphed 119-110, LeBron was blunt when answering a question about what separates his team (32-19) from the league-leading Oklahoma (40-13).
“You want to compare the Lakers and the Thunder? Oklahoma City is a championship team. We are not,” shared LeBron with the media. “We can’t play the whole match at our highest level, while the Thunder can. That’s the reason that they won the title.”
LeBron notched 14 of his 22 points in the 2nd half as LA’s 3-match winning streak ended with another poor performance in defense.
The Lakers had a 1-point lead before the final 8 minutes of the match, but OKC closed the match on a 21-11 run keyed by Jalen Williams, who notched 10 points in the match’s final 5 minutes.
LeBron James after the Lakers' loss to the Thunder:
"You want me to compare us to them? That's a championship team right there. We're not. We can't sustain energy and effort for 48 minutes and they can. That's why they won a championship."pic.twitter.com/nB5n8QBjUo
— Underdog NBA (@UnderdogNBA) February 10, 2026
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