The Los Angeles Lakers struggled after winning the NBA In-Season Tournament, and they entered Saturday night’s game against the Oklahoma City Thunder having lost four consecutive games and five of six.

Given the Western Conference’s landscape, the Lakers couldn’t afford a lengthier losing run if they wanted to stay in the playoff hunt.

Knowing this, Lakers star big man Anthony Davis labeled Saturday’s game in Oklahoma City a must-win for the Los Angeles Lakers.

Darvin Ham, the Lakers’ head coach, followed suit, benching the underperforming D’Angelo Russell in favor of Jarrad Vanderbilt.

Davis’ remarks and Ham’s lineup change were effective, as the Lakers played one of their finest games of the season in defeating the Thunder on the road.

Davis backed up his statements with 26 points, 11 rebounds, seven assists, one steal, and two blocks on an 11-of-21 shooting night.

LeBron James contributed as well, scoring a season-high 40 points on 13-of-20 shooting while also grabbing seven rebounds, seven assists, two steals, and two blocks.

When combined with the In-Season Tournament victory, the Lakers have demonstrated that they can play their best basketball under pressure. They’ll need to play this way more regularly to keep up with the West, which has been a difficulty so far.

D’Angelo Russell is unconcerned with his shift to the bench.

Russell, despite being moved to the bench, played a terrific game for the Lakers against the Thunder. Russell finished with 15 points and three assists on 5-of-9 shooting in 17 minutes.

While switching from being a consistent starter throughout his career to now coming off the bench cannot be easy for someone like Russell, he shown maturity by expressing that he isn’t bothered because the Lakers won.

Hopefully, he can keep that mentality going and the Lakers continue to win games as a result.