{"id":697432,"date":"2026-04-04T07:50:01","date_gmt":"2026-04-04T07:50:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/697432\/"},"modified":"2026-04-04T07:50:01","modified_gmt":"2026-04-04T07:50:01","slug":"stephen-a-smith-blasts-the-lakers-after-thunder-blowout-loss","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/697432\/","title":{"rendered":"Stephen A Smith Blasts the Lakers After Thunder Blowout Loss"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Oklahoma City Thunder came into this game as the best team in the NBA, and the Los Angeles Lakers<\/a> came in riding a hot streak. What followed was not a game. It was a message, and Stephen A. Smith made sure everyone heard it loud and clear.<\/p>\n

In a clip posted by First Take on X<\/a>, Stephen A. Smith said, “That was an a– kicking last night. That was a romp. The Oklahoma City Thunder, the reigning defending NBA champion, placed [that] on the Los Angeles Lakers.”<\/p>\n

The Thunder won 139-96<\/a>. It was one of the worst losses in Lakers history by margin, and OKC led by 30 at halftime. Then Luka Doncic, who had been averaging over 37 points in March, walked off the court in the third quarter with a left hamstring injury and did not return.<\/p>\n

Here is the thing, though. Luka was already showing signs<\/a> in the first half. He was seen getting treatment from the medical staff at halftime, was cleared to return, and then went down shortly after in the third quarter. Smith caught that, and he was not letting it slide.<\/p>\n

“We were lookin’ at it [the result] with a raised eyebrow.” <\/p>\n

\u2014@stephenasmith<\/a> on the Lakers vs. Thunder result \ud83d\ude2c pic.twitter.com\/mRRTqFaXk9<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 First Take (@FirstTake) April 3, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

“Okay, and it was almost so that it’s a good thing that Luca actually got hurt and had to get taken out in the third quarter because when we saw him holding his hamstring in the first half, a lot of us were like, wait a minute. Now, that wasn’t happening when you were dropping 30 plus the last 12, 13, 15 games, but suddenly now your damn hamstring is hurt.”<\/p>\n

He kept going, and did not hold back on what a blowout like this can do to a player mentally.<\/p>\n

“We were looking at it with a raised eyebrow because an ass kicking will do that to you. It will make you humble. It will make you run for cover. It will make you want to run to the locker room. It will make you pretend you got to use the bathroom. It will make you pretend that something might be a family emergency or anything just to get away from those confines. That’s the kind of a– whipping we saw last night.”<\/p>\n

Stephen A Smith Predicts What Happens if Lakers Face Thunder in Playoffs\"Oklahoma<\/p>\n

Apr 2, 2026; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) dribbles down the court as Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic (77) defends during the second half at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images | Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

Smith then looked ahead, and there is plenty there for the Lakers to be concerned about. If Los Angeles slips to the fourth seed and somehow gets through the first round, a second-round matchup with OKC could look a lot like this.<\/p>\n

“Oh, we actually did see a preview of what’s to come. If the Lakers fall to the fourth seed and they lucky enough to get out of the first round and they got to face those brothers in the second round. They came to the Lakers like this. They heard all the noise about Luka averaging 39 and all, they’re like, we gonna put a stop to that stuff right now and they did it from open and tap period.”<\/p>\n

The Lakers are still third in the West, and a rematch is coming soon. But Doncic’s MRI results will go a long way in deciding whether any of those playoff scenarios even matter for Los Angeles.<\/p>\n

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