Given the key players missing for the Lakers on Tuesday night at Crypto.com Arena, it wasn’t surprising that they faced their second defeat against the top-ranked Thunder in just five days.
Still, the Lakers had a promising start. With players like Luka Doncic, Austin Reeves, LeBron James, Marcus Smart, and Jackson Hayes out, you might have expected a bigger struggle.
Drew Timme, the dual-threat center, had to step up early. And did he? Not entirely.
Luke Kennard took charge of the Lakers’ offense and seemed to act as a playmaker.
The athletic skills of rookie forward Adu Tierro were evident and exciting.
In an unexpected twist, the Lakers found themselves tied with the defending champions at 42 points, mid-second quarter.
But that hope didn’t last long. The Thunder quickly seized control of the game.
In fact, the Lakers managed to score only 22 points over the next 24 minutes, resulting in a 123-87 defeat.
This performance marked the lowest points total for the Lakers in any game this season.
Rui Hachimura, who was among the rotation just a week ago, stepped up and led the undermanned Lakers with 15 points.
Timme contributed 11 points, while Kennard added 10 points and nine assists. Tierro scored a career-high of 10 points, playing a notable 21 minutes.
What It Means
This marks the first three-game losing streak for the Lakers since late February.
Despite their struggles, they sit in fourth place in the Western Conference, holding a 50-29 record, just one game behind the Nuggets at 51-28, with three matches to go in the regular season.
Turning Point
It really should have been evident early on, considering the players sidelined for the Lakers.
However, late in the second quarter, with the Lakers leading 60-46, Jake LaRabia missed two free throws, then Isaiah Joe sank a 3-pointer, pushing the Thunder ahead by 17 points. At that moment, you could sense it just wasn’t going to be the Lakers’ night.
MVP: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
The reigning league MVP took full advantage of the Lakers’ weakened lineup.
Gilgeous-Alexander scored a game-high 25 points, shooting 10 of 15, and dished out eight assists in just 28 minutes, leading the Thunder to a dominant 93-62 margin heading into the final quarter.
Game Status: 17
The Lakers struggled in free throw shooting, making an already tough game even tougher.
With a free throw percentage of 45.2%, it marked their worst from the line this season, surpassing even their previous low of 57.1% against the Bucks back in January.
To the Next
The Lakers are headed to San Francisco to face the Warriors at Chase Center on Thursday.
This game kicks off a back-to-back series, as they’ll return home to play the Suns the following night.
