LOS ANGELES, Calif. — The physicality was matched, the atmosphere was playoff level but the execution faded down the stretch for Los Angeles.
The Lakers stood toe-to-toe against the defending champs without Luka Dončić, but the Thunder showed why they’re the best team in the NBA even without Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, falling to Oklahoma City 119-110 on Monday at Crypto.com Arena.
“I thought for the most part our effort was fantastic,” coach JJ Redick said, “Then in key stretches in the game, our execution wasn’t great.”
Before the game, Redick mentioned Oklahoma City being a physical team and, as a result, they fouled on almost every possession. This was the second team this season he’s mentioned having that trait—the first being the Detroit Pistons.
Against Detroit earlier in the season, the Lakers were bullied. Against Oklahoma City, the Lakers fought back and stood tall.
But their late-game execution hurt them in the end despite matching the Thunder’s physicality, as they missed multiple open looks, going three for 11 from deep in the fourth quarter, which resulted in their falter.
“There were three possessions in a row where I got three really good looks and I missed all of them,” said Jake LaRavia. “It’s just one of those moments where you gotta make shots. I didn’t make shots down the stretch… That was the big factor.
The Lakers came out strong to start the third quarter—a battle they’ve struggled with all season—which helped them climb back from Oklahoma’s biggest lead of the game (14) in the second quarter.
L.A. outscored them 33-26 in the quarter, which gave them an eight-point lead thanks to LeBron James, who had 10 points, and LaRavia, who had 11. It pushed the Lakers to a 93-91 lead going into the fourth.
James led the Lakers with 22 points while adding 10 assists and six rebounds.
After some back-and-forth and a scoreless stretch, the game came down to the wire in the final three minutes behind a roaring playoff-like home crowd.
Oklahoma City created separation with an eight-point cushion thanks to a mid-range bucket from Jalen Williams, followed by a huge Thunder three on the next possession.
The Lakers kept clawing back to cut it within three after a tough layup with a lot of contact by Rui Hachimura with 1:03 left.
With L.A. needing a stop, Williams put the nail in the coffin for the Thunder with the time on their side, hitting another bucket inside the free throw over Austin Reaves to put the game away.
Williams led all scorers with 23 points as Oklahoma had seven players finish in double figures. Reaves had 16 points in 28 minutes, the most he’s played since coming back from injury, which begs the question if he’ll be available against the Spurs on Tuesday.
The Lakers’ loss drops them to 32-20 and 14-9 at home, with their next three games remaining in L.A. before the All-Star break.