The Oklahoma City Thunder dominated against the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday night, securing a comfortable 139-96 victory. While the Lakers have been an elite offensive unit, LeBron James had to give the Thunder credit for their defensive exploits.
OKC is arguably the best defensive team in the league. While they boast the best defensive rating in the NBA this year (106.1), their success in restricting a player like Luka Doncic to below 15 points is nothing short of impressive. On that note, LeBron James explained the challenges of breaking down OKC’s defensive schemes.
“They have multiple wing defenders, multiple guys that can get up on the ball, and try to speed you up as much as they can. They’ve got great hands, they’ve got great length,” James stated. “It’s hard versus a team like that when you’re giving them pick-sixes. I think we had eight turnovers for 14 points in the first 6–7 minutes of the game. That’s the game right there.”
“It takes some time to adjust to [it] when you haven’t played a team like that in a while,” James added. “We’ve had some teams that put the pressure on you… But they did a great job, obviously.”
Since the All-Star break, the Lakers have posted an offensive rating of 118.9 (5th in the NBA). When also considering that the Lakers’ trio is averaging 48.4 points per game and was restricted to just 40 on Thursday night, LeBron James had to tip his hat to the Thunder.
LeBron James And Austin Reaves Share Blunt Reactions To The Loss
Thursday night’s loss to the Thunder marks the Lakers’ worst loss in a year, which was also coincidentally against OKC. With a 32-point deficit heading into the second half and Luka Doncic’s hamstring injury shortly after, L.A.’s chances of winning were slim.
After the game, the Lakers’ players could do little to respond to the loss. On that note, both LeBron James and Austin Reaves shared blunt reactions to the outing.
“I understand and know what they’re capable of. They beat the s–t out of us tonight from the start,” James stated.
“They beat the s–t out of us. They’re the defending champs,” Reaves added. “We’ve got to be better. Losing always sucks, no matter if we lose by one or 50. A loss is a loss. That’s how I look at it.”
The dejected nature of their responses and the current state of the roster may raise some concerns about the Lakers moving forward. However, LeBron James was quick to address that a loss of this magnitude wouldn’t shake the team’s resolve.
“No, nothing has changed. We still will be [together]. Obviously, we’ll be tested with the head of the snake [missing] … But nothing is rattled. It’s one game, it’s part of the NBA season, it’s the defending champions.”
With this loss, the Lakers have seen their four-game winning streak come to an end, falling to 50-27 on the season. While disappointing, the Purple and Gold remain third in the West, a solid position to be in with only five games left in the season.
Given the opportunity to finish strong, L.A. will have its sights set on its remaining matchups.
