No matter what happens this season, one fact is indisputable for the Lakers: They are a much better team when LeBron James is on the court.

He scored 33 points Friday as the Lakers finally figured out how to beat the Oklahoma City Thunder after two failed tries earlier this season against one of the NBA’s weaker teams. 

There was no doubt this time in Oklahoma City: Lakers 116, Thunder 95.

The Lakers enjoyed a strong night from James on a night Anthony Davis sat out because of soreness in his left knee, a somewhat surprising development for a team that has already had a ton of bad injury news.

“I don’t really know exactly what the next steps are,” Lakers coach Frank Vogel said. “The medical team said they want to find out exactly what it is.”

The Lakers’ next game is Sunday against Orlando. It is unclear if Davis will play.

It is very clear James looks like himself after a herky-jerky start to the season. He recently acknowledged that the first two months had been a frustrating experience. He has missed 12 games for a variety of reasons — strained abdominal muscle, sprained ankle, suspension, COVID-19 false positive test.

James got off to a torrid start Friday, scoring 23 points in the first half on 9-for-10 shooting as the Lakers took a comfortable 64-45 lead.

Or was it comfortable?

The Lakers led Oklahoma City by wide margins in their previous match-ups — 19 points in one and a whopping 26 in the other — but somehow lost both.

“He wasn’t going to let that happen again tonight,” Vogel said.

Of course, James was not on the court for either of those losses to OKC, sidelined by injuries.

He looked very healthy Friday. 

He was efficient, making 13 of 20 shots. He was tough defensively, collecting three steals and two blocked shots. And he made a bunch of three-pointers — four, to be exact.

“I’m starting to get a lot healthier as the season goes on,” James said. “My teammates have put me in positions and I just trust the work I’ve put in.”

The Lakers (14-13) were strong from three-point range, making a season-high 19 behind the arc. This has not been a strong suit — the Lakers have lingered in the middle of the pack in the NBA, if not lower, most of the season.

The Thunder (8-17) was the exact opposite Friday, making only 22.7% of their three-point attempts. Oklahoma City’s leading scorer, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, scored only 11 points and was hounded by Avery Bradley, the Lakers’ top defensive guard right now.

Bradley was solid on offense, too, making six three-pointers and scoring 22 points.

“He was activated because he knew his [defensive] assignment was going to be Shai,” James said. “The best way to neutralize a scorer is to go at him as well.”