The Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder 116-111 on Friday night, led by 37 points and 14 rebounds from Anthony Davis, and 13 of Dennis Schröder’s 21 points in the fourth quarter. This victory was crucial for the Lakers’ chances of making the playoffs.

Despite the absences of LeBron James and D’Angelo Russell due to injury, the Lakers won their third straight game to tie Minnesota for seventh place in the Western Conference rankings.

“It was a must-win game for us,” said Davis “We had to come out and get this game, and we came out offensive and defensively just playing extremely well. … We’ve got to .500, and now it’s time to get on the other side.”

“With Davis leading the way on both ends of the court, Los Angeles (37-37) reached .500 for the first time this year. The Lakers started the season 2-10, but they’re 12-6 since the trade deadline with a rapidly cohering roster and the looming return of the NBA’s career scoring leader.”

“This team is locked in and connected,” Lakers coach Darvin Ham said. “The vibe and the spirit have been great. Guys are really trying to figure out how we can be better. That’s what you want. … Guys are competing because they know what they’re representing. They know the history of the franchise they’re representing.”

For the Thunder, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 27 points, Josh Giddey contributed 27 points and 17 rebounds.

NBA Twitter reactions

“Back to .500” one person tweeted.

“Monster game from AD. Everything coming together at the right time.” another person tweeted.

“Imagine celebrating .500. This used to be a franchise that won 3 straight championships 😭😭😂😂😂😂😂” another person tweeted.

“Lakers got to .500. It seemed like the hardest thing to do but Lakers finally did it. Now, let’s see if we can make it to a playoff spot. There’s some winnable games on the horizon. 1st, take care of business with Bulls👊” another person tweeted.

“There’s still a job to be done for the rest of the season to make the playoffs, but this is a good start. 3 straight wins and now onto a Bulls team that they haven’t played yet this season. Keep it up Lakers!!!! 💜💛” another person tweeted.

“Austin Reeves needs to be starting over Malik Beasley every game. Malik Beasley is way too inconsistent” another person tweeted.

“schroder stepped it up in the 4th when we needed it, big W” another person tweeted.

“Lonnie Walker = Ultimate professional. Stepped up big on a bad AR night” another person tweeted.

“Lets gooo .500 for the first team this season, AD monster night, lonnie big coming off the bench and dennis went off in the 4th 🔥. Lets get the W against the bulls” another person tweeted.

“Next up is bulls, they too are at a hot streak. The next two games against them will be crucial. Even without derozan, this team is dangerous with Caruso, jack lavine, vucivic.” another person tweeted.

On Monday night at Madison Square Garden, the New York Knicks suffered a heartbreaking 140-134 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves despite Julius Randle scoring a career-high 57 points.

“It’s a shame to waste a performance like that,” Knicks coach said after the game.

“Randle’s dominance was apparent throughout the first three quarters of a defenseless showcase in which the Knicks trailed by as many as 17. Randle poured in a team-record 26 points in the third quarter, bringing the Knicks back into the game, but the All-Star forward wasn’t able to will his team across the finish line, scoring just five points in the fourth.”

“He played so well,” Knicks guard Jalen Brunson said. “He brought us back, he played unbelievable. We just got to be better as a team to help him make that career night feel like something special. But when you lose that, kind of just chops all the feeling out of everything.”

“Randle was 19-for-29 from the field and 8-for-14 from 3-point range in passing his previous career best of 46 points. He played 37 minutes and made 11 of 13 attempts from the free throw line.”

NBA Twitter reactions

“WHERES THE PEOPLE WHO DOUBTED HIM? WHERES THE FAKE KNICKS FANS AT I WANNA KNOW? RANDLE A TOP 10 PLAYER IN THE LEAGUE” one person tweeted.

“All them clowns saying trade Randle are real quiet now! He’s been that guy for us this season” another person tweeted.

“Dude is playing like prime Carmelo Anthony I have to say it now. But better passing the ball, rebounding, of course he does have a lot more help than Melo had” another person tweeted.

“Not the guy we may have wanted but a guy we definitely needed” another person tweeted.

“A career high in a loss is not good” another person tweeted.

“Randle is giving us all he can. Our bigs must score some points to help us win games” another person tweeted.

“I’m cryin 😭 we got us a superstar” another person tweeted.

“Need this Julius in the playoffs 🔥🔥🔥” another person tweeted.

“Julius Randle is on fire tonight! He’s showing why he’s one of the top players in the league with this career-high performance. Keep it up, King Julius! 🔥🔥🔥” another person tweeted.

Carlos Alcaraz of Spain defeated Daniil Medvedev in straight sets on Sunday to win the Indian Wells ATP Masters 1000 and reclaim the top spot in the world rankings.

“It means a lot to me. To recover the No. 1 [ranking] is crazy for me,” Alcaraz said. “But especially to lift the trophy here for me means a lot… I love this tournament. I really enjoy my time here and of course I felt the love from the people from day one. For me, it’s amazing to complete these 10 days like this.”

Alcaraz played in six matches and did not lose a set during the competition. His accomplishment in the California desert has given him extra confidence going into his Miami Open title defence.

“I’m playing great. Of course today, the conditions today were pretty tough. Of course Daniil didn’t play at his best, obviously,” said Alcaraz.

“All I can say is I’m really happy with my performance, the way that I was playing this tournament. I’m looking forward to playing this level in Miami as well.”

“Medvedev saw his 19-match and three-tournament winning streak come to a close as Alcaraz expertly handled the windy desert conditions, the top seed’s patient but aggressive game plan reaping rewards with an immediate break in both sets. After racing to a 3-0 lead in the opening set, Alcaraz won the first 10 points of the second on the way to a 4-0 advantage.”

Tennis Twitter reactions

“This is very exciting to see a young player confirming media hype!! Carlos is miles ahead of all the young players!! Congratulations!” one person wrote.

“Alcaraz literally ate Medvedev up. Poor fighting spirit from Medvedev who looked like he’d accepted defeat from the get go. Congratulations to Alcaraz. Many more wins for this Champ 🏆” another person wrote.

“The real hard court king is Carlitos Alcaraz.” another person wrote.

“Carlos is from another planet at times, he’s so good 👏. His game and his personality will make him a fan favourite 4 years 2 come.” another person wrote.

“Love this young man! The moment I watched him play for the first time, I was hooked. I apprecitae his talent, dedication and humble attitude. Congratulations to you, Carlos, from one of your many fans.” another person wrote.

“It was such a boring game, didn look like finals. I enjoyed the women’s finals more. Congratulations to #Alcarez” another person wrote.

“He’s just phenomenal ! And such a good person, as well.” another person wrote.

“VAMOS CARLITOS! Next step is Miami for the sunshine double ☀️ 🎾 💥” another person wrote.

“Congratulations! Back to No. 1 💪💪💪 Now Sunshine Double 🏆🏆” another person wrote.

“A very classy performance from King Carlos 🤴🇪🇸. Nice to see him back . Peaking right in time for Roland Garros.” another person wrote.