The Los Angeles Lakers need all hands on deck to keep up against the Oklahoma City Thunder in round two. Without star guard Luka Doncic, who is expected to miss the series, the odds are even more stacked against the Lakers to advance. Still, with the series just 1-0 in favor of the defending champions, the show must go on.
Tonight, ahead of Game 2, the Lakers revealed some notable updates that could have a major impact. Jarred Vanderbilt, who was initially considered doubtful, will miss today’s matchup as he heals from a dislocated right pinkie. Fortunately, Luke Kennard has been cleared to play after being listed as questionable. Luka Doncic, of course, remains out with a right hamstring strain. Meanwhile, only two Thunder players are out: Thomas Sorber (ACL recovery) and Jalen Williams (hamstring strain).
Vanderbilt’s downgrade isn’t entirely surprising. The young swingman averaged 4.4 points, 4.5 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 0.8 steals, and 0.3 blocks per game on 47.1% shooting and 29.3% shooting from three in the regular season, but he’s still only a few days removed from the gruesome finger injury in Game 1, where he was seen keeling in pain. While he avoided any major structural damage, he needs more time for the pain and swelling to subside before being thrust into action. Fortunately, he’s only day-to-day and should be ready to play again by Game 3 or 4 of the series.
Luke Kennard, meanwhile, hasn’t missed any time recently, but he was notably out of rhythm in the loss on Tuesday, when he put up just seven points, five rebounds, one assist, one steal, and zero blocks on 25.0% shooting and 1-3 shooting from three. Fans suspected something was wrong, and those suspicions were confirmed when he was given a questionable status for tonight’s game due to neck soreness. Fortunately, he’ll be in action today with no restrictions, ensuring the Lakers will not be without one of their top perimeter shooters.
As for the game plan, Redick suggested before tip-off that we could see a tightened rotation for the rest of the series. Specifically, he told reporters (including Dan Woike of The Athletic) to expect a nine-man rotation that will likely include the starting five, plus Luke Kennard, Jaxson Hayes, Jake LaRavia, and potentially Bronny James off the bench.
Ultimately, the Lakers are playing under no delusions in this series. They are the underdogs through and through, and likely would have still been underdogs with a healthy Luka Doncic on the roster. To come out on top now will require cohesion, constant communication, and nearly perfect execution, but Los Angeles will not give up hope.
Together, JJ Redick and his staff are developing a plan that can maximize their odds. It starts with playing careful basketball and not giving the Thunder any chance to capitalize on mistakes. It also involves getting everyone more involved offensively, where the Lakers have struggled over the past few games. If they can establish a steady rhythm on that end, it will go a long way toward evening the odds.
For now, the Lakers must continue to play desperately. Only by outworking the Thunder can they hope to put up a real fight in the series, but even that may not be enough.
