In their final matchup of the season, the Los Angeles Lakers and Oklahoma City Thunder battled it out in an epic showdown at the Paycom Center. With just a handful of games left in the season, the Lakers need every win they can get and they were fighting hard to steal another victory against the best team in the West.
Both teams came out blazing to start the game, opening with a 43-point quarter that set the tone for the rest of the night. After taking an 8-point lead into halftime, the Thunder were held to 17 points in the third quarter to nearly even up the score heading into the final 12 minutes. Ultimately, it was a late-game run by the Thunder (32-18) that led to them pulling away with the double-digit win (136-120).
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was the game’s leading scorer with 42 points, six rebounds, and six assists on 53.8% shooting. Jalen Williams put up 26 points, four rebounds, and four assists on 52.4% shooting. Chet Holmgren put up 14 points, four rebounds, and two assists on 41.7% shooting.
For the Lakers, LeBron James led the way with 28 points, seven rebounds, and three assists on 42.1% shooting. Austin Reaves dropped 24 points, five rebounds, and five assists on 50% shooting. Meanwhile, Luka Doncic contributed 23 points, three rebounds, and five assists on 46.7% shooting.
As the NBA playoffs loom, teams across the league will be gearing up to make their final playoff push. In Oklahoma City today, the Thunder were able to make a statement by securing the win but it wasn’t a great night for the Lakers given how frustrated they looked by the final buzzer.
Sloppy Offense By The Lakers
After dropping 15 turnovers in Sunday’s win, the Lakers were hoping to keep that number down and take better care of the ball in tonight’s rematch. Instead, the Lakers committed 18 turnovers, which turned into 29 points for the Thunder.
LeBron James had an otherwise decent performance but he made a lot of costly mistakes tonight that may have cost his team the game. James had as many turnovers as the entire Thunder team did throughout the game (six turnovers between 13 players).
The offense was a complete disaster but it’s hard not to give some credit to the Thunder’s defense. They used their size and length to bother the Lakers on passes and shot attempts, forcing mistakes that disrupted their flow.
Officiating Problems
The Lakers are a team that excels at getting to the line and they outshot the Thunder by going 28-37 on free throws. Still, the officiating wasn’t going their way tonight and the frustration with the referees was building up.
After arguing a few questionable calls, Luka Doncic was tossed from the game after receiving his second technical foul of the night. The moment completely changed the game for Los Angeles and many fans are complaining that his ejection was a complete overreaction.
In the final quarter alone, Luka was ejected, Jared Vanderbilt was given a technical, and they failed to call an obvious foul on Austin Reaves. The Lakers made plenty of mistakes tonight but once the patience wore thin with the refs, they were never able to stay focused on the game.
No Answer For SGA
The Lakers needed a big performance from their stars to beat the Thunder twice in a row. LeBron James stepped up with 28 points, but the number paled in comparison to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s stat line: 42 points, six rebounds, and six assists on 53.8% shooting.
As the NBA’s leading MVP candidate, Shai has been doing this to teams all season long and the Lakers have just become his latest victim. With SGA leading the way, the Thunder shot 50% from the field, 48.6% from three, and 14-20 from the free-throw line.
Without Luka Doncic down the stretch, the Lakers couldn’t keep up and they had nobody to slow down Shai when it really mattered. If they meet in the playoffs, the Lakers will have to find an answer for him defensively or it could cost them the series.
The Lakers have beaten the Thunder before, including during the NBA playoffs. This time, however, OKC cruised to victory thanks to their depth, star power, and relentless playstyle. So in a matchup that was already favored against the Lakers, having problems with the officiating was enough to derail their momentum and give them their 31st loss of the season.
