OKLAHOMA CITY — Lakers coach JJ Redick said his team knew what time it was ahead of Thursday’s marquee matchup against the Thunder.
The Lakers’ 139-96 blowout loss to the Thunder was troubling in a variety of ways.
They struggled with the signature defensive pressure and tenacity of the defending champions, leading to a turnover-filled first quarter.
Their energy dipped and urgency dipped once it was clear their shotmaking wasn’t going to be there for them – the first time in a while that’s been the case.
They were defeated well before the final buzzer sounded.
But before the night ended, none of it seemed relevant, with star guard Luka Doncic leaving the game during the third quarter.
Doncic will get imaging down on Friday to determine the severity of his injury.
He, along with all of the Lakers were having a rough night before he left the game.
Doncic had 12 points (3-of-10 shooting, 1 of 7 on 3s), 7 assists and 4 rebounds in 26 minutes before his exit.
Austin Reaves led the Lakers with 15 points and 4 assists, but was grabbing at his left side throughout the night.
LeBron James finished with 13 points and 6 rebounds.
The Lakers fell to 50-27 for just their third loss in their last 19 games, dropping the regular-season series to the Thunder.
But most importantly, they left Paycom Center without knowing the status of their best player moving forward.
When Reaves turned the ball over on the Lakers’ third possession.
It was the first of back-to-back possessions that ended with a turnover for the Lakers, with the Thunder taking advantage and scoring off both giveaways, leading to coach JJ Redick calling an early timeout.
The Thunder had full control of the game from there.
The league’s reigning MVP didn’t have the most efficient scoring night by his standards, shooting 12 of 25 from the field (1 of 4 on 3-pointers), finishing with 28 points, 7 assists and 7 rebounds in 30 minutes.
But he controlled the game early with his passing when his shots weren’t falling.
And when Gilgeous-Alexander did get it going, the Lakers didn’t have an answer.
Gilgeous-Alexander likely cemented himself with another league MVP honors with Thursday’s performance.
That’s how many turnovers the Lakers had in the first 7 ½ minutes of the game, directly leading to 14 points for the Thunder, who had a 25-9 lead midway through the first.
The Lakers finished with 18 giveaways against the Thunder’s stingy defense.
But the lack of ball security early took them out of the game before they were even able to get in it.
The Lakers will play the Mavericks in Dallas on Sunday to end the two-game trip.
