Winning on the road is tough, but beating the Thunder in OKC feels impossible.
The Lakers did a lot right in their Game 2 loss. They got a much better offensive game from Austin Reaves, won the points-in-the-paint battle 52-46 and Rui Hachimura remained elite, scoring 16 points on 60% shooting.
But the Thunder outscored the Lakers 36-22 in the third quarter to turn this game from a close contest to a blowout win for OKC.
Now, JJ Redick and the Lakers find themselves down 2-0 in this series and head home still looking to play a full 48 minutes.
Perhaps the uncomfortable truth is they just don’t have the personnel to play such a perfect game.
Losing the Shai Gilgeous-Alexander minutes
There are plenty of reasons the Lakers lost, but the main culprit was their play in the third quarter, particularly when Shai-Gilgeous Alexander was off the floor.
SGA went to the bench after earning his fourth foul at the 10:34 mark. With Reaves knocking down three subsequent free throws, LA was in front by five.
This was a golden opportunity for the Lakers to take advantage. Winning the minutes when SGA is off the floor is something Lakers head coach JJ Redick said was necessary after practice on Wednesday.
Apparently, the purple and gold didn’t get the memo.
Chet Holmgren began feasting inside. Then Jared McCain scored five straight points, and after Jaylin Williams knocked down a three and was fouled on the shot, the crowd erupted and LA’s lead had evaporated.
The Thunder continued to pile on, going on a 32-14 run while SGA watched from the bench. This was the turning point of the game as the Lakers never led again.
LA has done a great job containing SGA. He scored 18 points in Game 1 and only scored 22 on Thursday.
However, OKC is so dominant because of its tremendous team. The Lakers have allowed McCain to torch them in both games. Chet has been great as well, and Ajay Mitchell once again had another strong performance. If LA doesn’t find a way to contain them, this will be a sweep.
Welcome back, Austin Reaves
One of the silver linings was the play of Reaves. He struggled massively in Game 1, but had a bounce back performance in Game 2. He continued to attack the paint, but finished strong at the rim this game. He went 10-16 from the field, shot 50% from deep and 80% from the charity stripe.
Add in his six assists, and Reaves put LA in a position to remain competitive in this contest.
Now, if he can start as well as he finished and limit his turnovers, LA will have a great chance of winning one of their upcoming home games.
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The noise surrounding Reaves was overblown in Game 1.
He is a proven player, and one game doesn’t take away from all he has done over the years as a Laker. Still, recency bias is a thing, and it was good for him and the team that Reaves was able to be an impactful player for LA.
With Luka Dončić out, they’ll need all the help they can get in the backcourt to generate some points.
Who can be a responsible adult?
Before the game, Redick said he’d play a nine-man rotation. He barely did with only eight players logging at least 10 minutes. And Jake LaRavia barely cracked the 10-minute mark.
Redick looked for answers playing Adou Thiero in the first half, but while the minutes weren’t bad, they were unimpactful. And with LaRavia playing so poorly, there don’t seem to be many bench players who can play at this level.
Redick has to try something, though.
Can Redick find some responsible adults? Some players who can be depended on to be positive and at least eat up a handful of minutes?
It might be time to play Nick Smith Jr. and see if he can give the Lakers an offensive spark. Maxi Kleber can play some five and give Deandre Ayton a break. Even Bronny James can slot in for a moment to start the second, as he did against the Rockets.
So far, the Lakers haven’t found a winning recipe, so Redick has to throw the kitchen sink at OKC and see if he can find something that gets him a win.
You can follow Edwin on Twitter at @ECreates88 or on Bluesky at @ecreates88.bsky.social.
