NBA 2018-19: 3 talking points as Oklahoma City Thunder come from behind to beat the Los Angeles Lakers

In a Western Conference match-up of immense interest, the Oklahoma City Thunder faced the Los Angeles Lakers at the Staples Center. Los Angles were again missing their star player LeBron James due to a groin injury, and had an uphill battle to beat the Thunder without his services.

And that was how it proved to be, as the final scoreline read 107-100 in favor of the Thunder in what was a very convincing comeback win for them.

With this result the Thunder have now won 3 of their last 5 matches and are ranked 3rd in the West with a record of 24-13. On the other hand, the Lakers have taken a major slump since LeBron's injury and have lost 3 of their last 5 matches, which has reduced their ranking to 8th in the West. They're barely hanging on that spot and will need LeBron back quickly.

With all that in mind, here are the top 3 talking points from the game -

#3 Shooting struggles for both teams

Oklahoma City Thunder v Los Angeles Lakers

This was a very heavy offensive game for both the teams as they struggled throughout with their shots and didn't seem to find a way to get the flow of things. While the Thunder shot only 38%, the Lakers shot at an efficiency of just 41.6%.

Moreover, they were shooting bricks from the 3-point line as well. Oklahoma shot 22%, while the Lakers shot at an efficiency of 25.9% from behind the arc.

More than shooting, this game was about grit and hustle. Whichever team would put in more effort and put more bodies on the line would win. And that's exactly what the Thunder did.

They made crucial plays at crucial times and made sure that they never gave the Lakers a chance to get the win.

#2. Disparity in bench points of the two teams

Oklahoma City Thunder v Los Angeles Lakers

The Lakers' bench came roaring into the game and gave their best effort to make sure that their team won. They outscored the Thunder's bench by 21 points - the Lakers' bench scored 48 points while their counterparts were able to score only 27.

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope was tremendous and scored the most points with 25. He was the biggest reason for the Lakers getting that early lead.

But they ruined it all in the final quarter with some poor basketball and sloppy plays. Nobody seemed to control the play in the final minutes for the Lakers and they were outscored by 11 points in the 4th quarter by the Thunder.

Even though bench points are always a crucial deciding factor in a team's victory, tonight was one of those special cases where nothing could save the Lakers.

#1. Paul George and his hot streak

Paul George

Last season Paul George gave the Lakers' faithful a lot of hope about joining them, but then his swerve and decision to remain with the Thunder shocked everyone. Unsurprisingly, his welcome in Lakerland was very hostile; the whole Staples Center was booing him.

But amidst the chorus of boos, George did what he went there to do. He took over the game and won it for the Thunder, just like he has been doing in a lot of previous games as well.

He's their superstar and he let it be known to everyone that he's a force to be reckoned with in the league. George scored 37 points on 15-29 shooting, and was the biggest reason for the Thunder's victory today.

In their next game the Thunder will face the Portland Trail Blazers, while the Lakers host the New York Knicks in hopes of getting back to winning ways.