Hits and Flops: Los Angeles Lakers vs Oklahoma City Thunder

The Los Angeles Lakers came away with a thrilling OT victory at the Thunder with a scoreline of 138-128.

The Lakers led by three points with less than five seconds to go in regulation, but then Westbrook was fouled on a three-point attempt by Lonzo Ball. He converted all three free throws which sent the game to overtime.

Lonzo Ball redeemed himself spectacularly in the OT period, hitting a clutch three and making several great plays down the stretch.

This was a game that saw great shooting from both sides. The two teams had season highs in made three-pointers and combined for 40 three points buckets.

With the win, the Lakers are now tied for the 8th playoff spot with the Utah Jazz. They have a 25-21 record in the loaded Western Conference and are 5-7 since LeBron James got injured.

Meanwhile, the Oklahoma City Thunder have now dropped 5 out of their last 6 games and are third in the West with a 26-18 record.

Let's have a look at the hits and the flops from the game:

Flop - Brandon Ingram

The Lakers have been desperately wanting to see Ingram's development in the absence of James. But Ingram has been inconsistent in his displays.

Ingram was totally off scoring wise in today's match. He ended the match with eight points on 1-9 shooting from the floor, his only made field goal coming in overtime.

Ingram also had 4 turnovers for the game and was hugely responsible for Lakers shaky display in the first quarter in which they were thoroughly dominated by the Thunder.

Ingram is having a mixed season. He has been averaging 16.4 points and just 2.7 assists on 2.5 turnovers per game for the season. He has also not shot the ball well from the 3PT line. He will be hoping to turnaround his campaign in the upcoming matches.

Hit - Ivica Zubac

The Lakers got plenty of support from everyone available today to get a tough road win but Ivica Zubac was their most potent offensive player.

Zubac has a great touch down low and is probably the best offensive big man that the Lakers have available.

He displayed his full arsenal of shots today and the Lakers badly needed every one of them. He finished the game with an outrageous 12-14 shooting from the floor for his 26 points and also grabbed 12 boards.

He had to battle with Steven Adams throughout the match but still produced the best performance of his young career.

Zubac was having some great offensive games when James and Rondo were playing. But since their injuries, Zubac had struggled to produce.

He had a different mindset to this game and was even playing in the clutch minutes to guide his team to victory. The Lakers will hope to get some big minutes from their big man.

Flop - Russell Westbrook

Westbrook could not win this one for his team

It is unfair to call it a flop game for a player who fell just one rebound shy of a triple-double. But such has been the standard set by Russell Westbrook.

The former MVP struggled finishing for the entire night. He ended the match with stats of 26 points, 9 rebounds and 13 assists on 7-30 shooting from the floor, 5-12 from the 3PT line, 7-10 from the FT line in 43 minutes of action.

He was hitting his 3 PT shots and also made three clutch free throws but he also missed some open layups in the clutch moments and failed to close out the game for his team.

Westbrook has been quietly averaging a triple-double this season. He has 21.7 points, 10.7 rebounds and 10.6 assists per game this season but has been very inefficient from the field.

The Thunder will want their superstar to be at his best if they are going to contend in the West.

Hit - Josh Hart

The player of the game was Josh Hart. Josh Hart has been struggling to shoot the basketball lately but his attitude to this match was perfect and much needed.

Josh Hart had a double-double in the game finishing with 12 points and 10 boards. He shot 3-6 from the field and 2-4 from beyond the arc.

But his game was not about stats. The effort that he displayed since coming on as a substitute was just contagious. He changed the entire landscape of the match after the Thunder had started the game in a dominating manner.

Josh Hart finished the match with a net rating of +23. He was everywhere on the court battling with Steven Adams for rebounds or with Russell Westbrook for loose balls. This kind of effort is what we expect from Hart on a nightly basis.

He will be hoping to get over his shooting slump and contribute immensely to the Lakers going forward.