After last night’s 16-point win over the New Orleans Pelicans, the Los Angeles Lakers are going full-steam ahead into the NBA playoffs. First, however, they’ll have to fight for playoff positioning with a set of back-to-back games against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
“Definitely a big challenge,” said Luka Doncic on facing the Thunder (via Lakers Nation). “They all know how to play. They’re first in the West for a reason. They’ve been playing amazing. They have a guy that is playing [at an] MVP level. The whole team is good. So, it’s gonna be a big, big challenge for us.”
The Lakers have been battling hard to keep their place in the top three but it won’t matter where they finish if they can’t figure out how to beat Oklahoma City. The path to the Finals goes through them and Austin Reaves sees these next two games as an opportunity to figure them out.
“It’s just, it’s a great test,” said Reaves. “You know, they’re obviously a really good team with probably the frontrunner for the MVP right now. So, the team plays really hard in their position, guards at a high level, and then on their end, they play with space. Like I said, Shai [Gilgeous-Alexander] does what he does, but it’s a good test for us to match up with the number one team in the west and see where we’re at right now and continue to try to prove that we’re a good team too.”
The Thunder finished first in the standings last year but they were eliminated in the second round by Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks. This season, with more chemistry and experience as a group, the Thunder are much improved and it’s no surprise that they are favored to win the West for the second straight season.
As the season draws to a close, the Lakers will have to fight hard to split these next two games. Besides Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren, the Thunder have Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who is leading the MVP race with averages of 32.6 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 6.4 assists per game on 51.9% shooting this season.
At 64-13, the Thunder have been unstoppable this season but the Lakers will need to split these next two games if they want to avoid slipping in the standings. Starting on Sunday, the Lakers will play a back-to-back series against OKC, both at Paycom Center, and the odds are stacked against them.
Still, with Luka Doncic finding his rhythm and LeBron James playing elite-level basketball, the Lakers firmly believe they have a chance to beat any team in the West and they are ready to prove it.
At 47-30, the Lakers have an impressive roster, and head coach JJ Redick is getting the absolute most out of his players and he’s already got them in the postseason mindset. The offense has been humming as the Lakers gradually find their voice on the defensive end.
It remains to be seen if that will be enough to contain the Thunder this week but it may not be the last they see of each other this season. If the playoffs started today, Los Angeles would likely have to play the Thunder in the Conference Finals, after beating the Timberwolves and the Warriors or Nuggets in the semi-finals.
