Los Angeles, LA – It’s the second night of a back to back for the Thunder and they look to get another quality road win after taking care of the Phoenix Suns down the stretch on the first leg of the back to back.
To win this game, the Thunder knew they would have to come into the game with a new mindset from the previous two times these two teams played. The Lakers used their length to disrupt the Thunder offense more than any team has this season. Packing the paint and not letting OKC get to their bread and butter.
Going up 20-8 in the opening frame, they came into the game with that mindset and did a great job of beating the Laker defense up the floor so they couldn’t set up in the paint. The Thunder also did a great job of blitzing the Lakers on defense and creating seven first quarter turnovers. The Lakers settled in though after both teams made some substitutions and used a 14-3 run to end the quarter to tie the game.
The Lakers took full advantage of an uncharacteristic bad quarter from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander who shot 1-7 because they knew that wouldn’t last too long. Just like each of the three previous games, the team that could grab control when Shai and Anthony Davis were on the bench would likely win the game.
That looked like it was going to be the Lakers. Early in the second quarter, the Thunder couldn’t really find any offense. There weren’t many good looks for them and the Lakers just continued to get easy looks on their end. It looked like the previous two matchups.
The only reason the Thunder were really in the game was because of all of the turnovers the Thunder created which caused a very ugly second quarter. As long as they continued to cause turnovers though, they would be ok. On the other side though, if the Lakers stopped turning it over things could get ugly.
It was one of the worst halves of basketball the Thunder have played all season as the Lakers took a nine point lead into the locker room. If the Thunder wanted to get control back, they would need to generate better looks. They missed a lot of open shots but they weren’t really the best looks.
The third didn’t really change for the Thunder on the offense end. They couldn’t put together a good stretch of offense. The Lakers though, did stop turning it over as much as they did in the first half and it led to them going up by as many as 17 in the frame.
As mentioned above, if the Lakers stopped turning the ball over it could get ugly and ugly it got. The Lakers never took their foot off the gas and it was a game that Shai got some rest in the fourth quarter and not for a good reason. The Lakers defense was just too much for the Lakers as it has been all season and the Thunder lose their second game of the four game road trip 116-104.
Here are the reasons for the loss
Paint
The Thunder have had a few games where they’ve taken more threes than shots in the paint and it hasn’t really hurt them. It hurt them tonight. The reason it hadn’t really hurt them before was because they did a great job of generating those threes by establishing themselves in the paint. That didn’t happen tonight.
The Lakers did a great job of packing the paint and the Thunder didn’t really do a good enough job of trying to get established there. Only 36 points there, even when they got into the paint they didn’t get good enough looks. The Thunder are at their best when they establish themselves in the paint but tonight it seemed like they didn’t really force the issue.
Pace
Early on, the Thunder did a great job of playing at a fast pace but midway through the first quarter that stopped. Maybe it was due to the Lakers but the Thunder were causing turnovers and the Lakers offense wasn’t really there in the first half so it shouldn’t have stopped. The Thunder had plenty of opportunities to push the pace and just didn’t.
Letting the Lakers defense set up by playing a slower pace isn’t ideal. It allowed them to really pack the paint and cut off driving lanes for Shai and Jalen Williams. WIth the length and size that the Lakers and other teams have over the Thunder, it’s imperative that they not let them get set up on the defensive end. If they do, it could be a similar ending.
Rebounding
Rebounding has been an issue all season for the Thunder but it hasn’t really been that big of an issue considering they’re at the top of the Western Conference.
Head coach Mark Daigneault even noted after giving up 31 rebounds to Jusuf Nurkic that they aren’t a perfect team and things are give and take. Most nights the positives of giving up a lot of rebounds outweighs the negatives but tonight wasn’t one of those nights. Just too many rebounds for the Lakers.
Although it hasn’t been much of an issue this season and Daigneault is correct about not being a perfect team and things being give and take, I’m not sure rebounding is one of those things.
The Thunder were led by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander who had his 8 game streak of 30+ points snapped with his 20 points, 7 assists, 4 rebounds, and 4 steals. Chet Holmgren added 15 points and 7 rebounds while Josh Giddey added 13 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists. Lu Dort kept the Thunder afloat in the second quarter and contributed 15 points.
Next up for the Thunder is the Blazers as they end their road trip Wednesday night in Portland.