The Los Angeles Lakers beat the Oklahoma City Thunder, 112-105 on Martin Luther King Day in a show of force to quell trade rumors.

It was their second straight win against the Western Conference’s no. 2 team. It also reinforced the belief that the Lakers have enough to beat contenders when they are healthy.

“People talk about trades and this and that. No one’s sugarcoating anything. You have an opportunity to get better, you’re going take advantage of it,” Lakers coach Darvin Ham told reporters after the game. “But that said, what we have in that locker room, we just need to buckle down, focus, take care of the details. We have more than enough in that locker room to make some things happen.”

Ham went back to the starting five which he used at the start of the season. It worked wonders this time as the Lakers improved to 3-3 with the starting five of D’Angelo Russell, Austin Reaves, Taurean Prince, LeBron James and Anthony Davis.

The Lakers’ starting five scored 84 points and outscored the Thunders’ starters by seven.

With the Lakers relatively healthy as only Cam Reddish (sore knee) and Gabe Vincent (knee surgery) were out, they played high-level basketball — a rare sighting during this ugly 5-12 stretch following their In-Season Tournament title run.

Davis led the team’s charge with another monster performance — 27 points, 15 rebounds, five assists, two steals and one block.

Their 39-year-old superstar LeBron James added 27 points on 12 of 20 shooting with seven rebounds and six assists. Russell and Reaves combined for 29 points and 13 assists.

Lakers Linked to Dejounte Murray
Atlanta Hawks and Klutch Sports client Dejounte Murray remains the hottest name linked to the Lakers with the February 8 trade deadline less than three weeks away.

The scuttlebutt is Reaves’ inclusion is the sticking point in a potential Murray deal.

The Hawks want a young player with a high upside in the mold of Immanuel Quickley and a first-round pick, according to Los Angeles Times’ Dan Woike.

But they also want to clear their books, hoping to unload either Clint Capela or De’Andre Hunter in a Murray trade, according to The Athletic’s John Hollinger.

“League sources say the Hawks have had continued chatter on potential Murray deals,” Hollinger wrote on January 14. “Some will tell you they’re getting close to the finish line, while others will say the Hawks are still on a fishing expedition to determine the trade value for him and other key players (such as Hunter and Capela).

The overly optimistic extensions for Capela (one more year left at $22.2 million) and Hunter (three years left after this one for a total of $70 million) also have handcuffed the Hawks’ team-building. Part of the appeal of trading Murray just months after he agreed to a four-year, $114 million extension is that his contract could be the bait to stuff Capela or especially Hunter into a deal.

On the other hand, there’s little chance they get anything close to what they gave up to acquire him.”

LeBron James Shoves Fan
James shoved an overeager fan who approached and touched him while he was sitting on the bench during the Lakers’ win over the Thunder.

A puzzled James shoved the fan after he said something to him. The security quickly escorted the fan away from James and out of the Crypto.com arena.