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The Los Angeles Lakers entered the month of April having won 16 of their previous 18 games, and on Thursday, they had the opportunity to make a huge statement against the defending NBA champion Oklahoma City Thunder. Instead, they were dealt a reality check and were slammed to the pavement.
They committed eight turnovers in the first seven minutes and change of the game, which resulted in them falling behind 25-9. They were down 82-51 at halftime and trailed by as many as 46 points, and this was the type of game in which just about everything went against them.
Oklahoma City's defense, particularly on the perimeter, was suffocating, and it played the passing lanes very well to force turnovers. Los Angeles simply couldn't find any kind of remedy at any point in this game. On the other end, Luguentz Dort had all 14 of his points in the first 8:30 of the first quarter, and Isaiah Joe came off the bench to score 20 points and hit six 3-pointers in just 13 minutes. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was in cruise control with 28 points, seven rebounds and seven assists.
Los Angeles was beaten soundly in just about every category. The Thunder shot 53.9% from the field and 45.2% from 3-point range, compared to 43% overall and 23.3% from downtown for L.A. They led 50-38 in rebounds, 32-20 in assists and 32-14 in fast-break points, and they scored 24 points off 18 L.A. turnovers — it only seemed like they had more points off turnovers than they did.
The Lakers' record is now at 50-27, and while they remain in third place in the Western Conference, their lead over the fourth-place Denver Nuggets is down to one game. They will have two days off before visiting the Dallas Mavericks on Sunday.
Two days after his best game in weeks, LaRavia had trouble getting his shots to fall. He went 3-of-10 from the field and missed both of his 3-point attempts, and he ended up with six points in 33 minutes. But he did contribute in other areas with a team-high eight rebounds, two assists and two blocks.
Ayton didn't give the Lakers much production in this game. He scored eight points on 4-of-7 from the field in 20 minutes, but his most glaring deficiency was the fact that he had only one rebound. This was the type of game where he needed to give his team a big effort on the boards, and it simply wasn't there on this night.
Reaves was the only Lakers player who was effective in the first quarter with eight points. He was seen holding his side early in the game, and he went back to the locker room after the opening minutes. He returned to the game with 9:40 to go in the second quarter, but he didn't produce a lot the rest of the way.
He finished with 15 points on 5-of-9 from the field and 2-of-3 from beyond the arc, four rebounds, one assist and four turnovers in 27 minutes.
James simply didn't assert himself that much throughout this game. He had eight points in the first half, but he took only three shots during that time. He ended up with 13 points on 3-of-7 overall shooting, 1-of-4 from 3-point land and 6-of-8 from the free throw line, six rebounds, two assists, one steal and one block in 26 minutes.
Doncic never found a rhythm in this game. He was 2-of-9 in the first half, and with just under eight minutes to go in the third quarter, he appeared to suffer a hamstring injury and headed to the locker room. He wouldn't return, and coach JJ Redick said afterward that the superstar will undergo an MRI.
He ended up making three of his 10 shot attempts, one of his seven 3-point tries and five of his six free throw attempts. Doncic finished with 12 points, four rebounds, seven assists, one steal and six turnovers in 26 minutes. The Thunder did an excellent job of staying in front of him on the perimeter and trapping him beyond the 3-point line. As a result, he didn't find enough daylight to warm up his shooting from the outside.
In 18 minutes, Hachimura connected on two of his nine shot attempts and missed all three of his attempts from 3-point land. He had four points, one rebound, one steal and one block.
Kennard went 3-of-8 from the field and 1-of-4 from downtown, and in 33 minutes, he logged seven points, four rebounds and three assists.
Hayes got 21 minutes in this game, and while he had just one rebound, he chipped in 12 points, mostly by drawing fouls. He made all three of his shot attempts and went 6-of-8 from the foul line, and he also registered one assist.
Because of how lopsided this game was, the younger James got to be on the court for 18 minutes. He first came into the game with 4:37 left in the third quarter, and he scored 10 points by making half of his eight shot attempts and four 3-point tries, while also adding one assist and one block.
Vanderbilt played the entire fourth quarter, and he performed very well. He consistently attacked in transition, and at one point, he threw down a left-handed jam over reserve big man Branden Carlson. The reserve forward ended up going 4-of-7 from the field and scoring nine points, and he also had five rebounds, three assists and three steals in 12 minutes.
Kleber got onto the court for the first time since last Wednesday's win against the Indiana Pacers. He missed his lone shot attempt and went scoreless, but he did chip in four rebounds and one steal.
This article originally appeared on LeBron Wire: Lakers player grades: L.A. gets flattened by the Thunder
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They committed eight turnovers in the first seven minutes and change of the game, which resulted in them falling behind 25-9. They were down 82-51 at halftime and trailed by as many as 46 points, and this was the type of game in which just about everything went against them.
Oklahoma City's defense, particularly on the perimeter, was suffocating, and it played the passing lanes very well to force turnovers. Los Angeles simply couldn't find any kind of remedy at any point in this game. On the other end, Luguentz Dort had all 14 of his points in the first 8:30 of the first quarter, and Isaiah Joe came off the bench to score 20 points and hit six 3-pointers in just 13 minutes. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was in cruise control with 28 points, seven rebounds and seven assists.
Los Angeles was beaten soundly in just about every category. The Thunder shot 53.9% from the field and 45.2% from 3-point range, compared to 43% overall and 23.3% from downtown for L.A. They led 50-38 in rebounds, 32-20 in assists and 32-14 in fast-break points, and they scored 24 points off 18 L.A. turnovers — it only seemed like they had more points off turnovers than they did.
The Lakers' record is now at 50-27, and while they remain in third place in the Western Conference, their lead over the fourth-place Denver Nuggets is down to one game. They will have two days off before visiting the Dallas Mavericks on Sunday.
Jake LaRavia: C-plus
Two days after his best game in weeks, LaRavia had trouble getting his shots to fall. He went 3-of-10 from the field and missed both of his 3-point attempts, and he ended up with six points in 33 minutes. But he did contribute in other areas with a team-high eight rebounds, two assists and two blocks.
Deandre Ayton: D
Ayton didn't give the Lakers much production in this game. He scored eight points on 4-of-7 from the field in 20 minutes, but his most glaring deficiency was the fact that he had only one rebound. This was the type of game where he needed to give his team a big effort on the boards, and it simply wasn't there on this night.
Austin Reaves: C-plus
Reaves was the only Lakers player who was effective in the first quarter with eight points. He was seen holding his side early in the game, and he went back to the locker room after the opening minutes. He returned to the game with 9:40 to go in the second quarter, but he didn't produce a lot the rest of the way.
He finished with 15 points on 5-of-9 from the field and 2-of-3 from beyond the arc, four rebounds, one assist and four turnovers in 27 minutes.
LeBron James: D
James simply didn't assert himself that much throughout this game. He had eight points in the first half, but he took only three shots during that time. He ended up with 13 points on 3-of-7 overall shooting, 1-of-4 from 3-point land and 6-of-8 from the free throw line, six rebounds, two assists, one steal and one block in 26 minutes.
Luka Doncic: D
Doncic never found a rhythm in this game. He was 2-of-9 in the first half, and with just under eight minutes to go in the third quarter, he appeared to suffer a hamstring injury and headed to the locker room. He wouldn't return, and coach JJ Redick said afterward that the superstar will undergo an MRI.
He ended up making three of his 10 shot attempts, one of his seven 3-point tries and five of his six free throw attempts. Doncic finished with 12 points, four rebounds, seven assists, one steal and six turnovers in 26 minutes. The Thunder did an excellent job of staying in front of him on the perimeter and trapping him beyond the 3-point line. As a result, he didn't find enough daylight to warm up his shooting from the outside.
Rui Hachimura: D-minus
In 18 minutes, Hachimura connected on two of his nine shot attempts and missed all three of his attempts from 3-point land. He had four points, one rebound, one steal and one block.
Luke Kennard: B-minus
Kennard went 3-of-8 from the field and 1-of-4 from downtown, and in 33 minutes, he logged seven points, four rebounds and three assists.
Jaxson Hayes: B-minus/B
Hayes got 21 minutes in this game, and while he had just one rebound, he chipped in 12 points, mostly by drawing fouls. He made all three of his shot attempts and went 6-of-8 from the foul line, and he also registered one assist.
Bronny James: B-plus
Because of how lopsided this game was, the younger James got to be on the court for 18 minutes. He first came into the game with 4:37 left in the third quarter, and he scored 10 points by making half of his eight shot attempts and four 3-point tries, while also adding one assist and one block.
Jarred Vanderbilt: A-minus
Vanderbilt played the entire fourth quarter, and he performed very well. He consistently attacked in transition, and at one point, he threw down a left-handed jam over reserve big man Branden Carlson. The reserve forward ended up going 4-of-7 from the field and scoring nine points, and he also had five rebounds, three assists and three steals in 12 minutes.
Maxi Kleber: C
Kleber got onto the court for the first time since last Wednesday's win against the Indiana Pacers. He missed his lone shot attempt and went scoreless, but he did chip in four rebounds and one steal.
This article originally appeared on LeBron Wire: Lakers player grades: L.A. gets flattened by the Thunder
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