The Oklahoma City Thunder blew out the Los Angeles Lakers 131-108 at Crypto.com Arena on Saturday to take a 3-0 lead in the Western Conference Semifinals. The Thunder had their way with this Lakers defense on the night, and Austin Reaves particularly struggled on that end of the floor.
There was a stretch in the third quarter where the Thunder repeatedly hunted Reaves, and he just couldn’t get a stop.
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This wasn’t actually five straight possessions, but they all occurred in the span of a few minutes. Now, there is no shame in failing to slow down Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, as he is one of the very best players in the world. What was concerning, though, was how easily Ajay Mitchell kept scoring on Reaves on the night.
Mitchell, the 38th pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, is a very good player who probably would have won Sixth Man of the Year had he managed to stay healthy. The 23-year-old is yet another success story from the Thunder, but he isn’t as good as the Lakers made him look here.
Mitchell had 24 points (10-17 FG), four rebounds, 10 assists, and three steals in Game 3. Over these last two games, he has averaged 22.0 points on 58.6% shooting from the field. The Lakers have had no answers for Mitchell.
As for Reaves, well, he wasn’t able to build on his fine showing in Game 2. The 27-year-old had 31 points that night, but could only manage 17 points (5-13 FG), three rebounds, and nine assists here.
Reaves had five turnovers, too, and just hasn’t been able to take care of the ball against the Thunder this season. He averaged 4.7 turnovers per game against them in the regular season and is at 4.7 in this series as well.
Reaves is also now averaging just 18.7 points while shooting 40.0% from the field and 25.0% from beyond the arc in this series. It’s safe to say those are not the kind of numbers you’d expect from a max player, which he could well become in the offseason.
The Lakers have a big decision on their hands, as Reaves is expected to opt out of his $14.9 million player option for 2026-27 and become an unrestricted free agent. He is eligible for a five-year, $241 million contract, and it was reported back in March that they plan to give him that deal. Would the Lakers have second thoughts now? Time will tell.
To be fair to Reaves, it should also be pointed out that it hasn’t been too long since he returned from a Grade 2 left oblique strain. This is pure speculation, but he could well have come back a bit sooner than he should have, as Luka Doncic is on the sidelines, too. We have seen players lose out on millions by playing through injury, and hopefully, that isn’t the case here.
Reaves still has at least one more opportunity to make amends in this series. Game 4 tips off at Crypto.com Arena on Monday at 10:30 p.m. ET. Lakers head coach JJ Redick hasn’t thrown in the towel just yet, and it will take a Reaves masterclass if they are to avoid getting swept. You wouldn’t count on it, though, with how poorly he played on this night.
