Even though the specifics changed, the narrative of Saturday’s Game 3 between the Lakers and the Thunder felt familiar, echoing the earlier two contests in Oklahoma City.
The Lakers came out strong, even leading at halftime, similar to their performance in Game 2 on Thursday.
But once again, fatigue took over, and the Lakers fell to the Thunder in Los Angeles by a score of 131-108, putting them just one defeat away from postseason elimination.
The Thunder outscored the Lakers 74-49 in the second half.
LeBron James, with 19 points, 8 assists, and 6 rebounds, along with Austin Reeves, who posted 17 points, 9 rebounds, and 3 assists, had a rough day, contributing to the combined total of 17 Lakers turnovers.
Among those turnovers, Reaves had five, while James added three.
Although the Lakers didn’t maintain a substantial lead, Rui Hachimura scored 21 points on 7-of-14 shooting, and Luke Kennard added 18 points, shooting 7-of-10. Together, they accounted for 39 points.
The Thunder capitalized on 30 points from the Lakers’ mistakes.
Ajay Mitchell led the Thunder with 24 points, 10 assists, and 4 rebounds. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the reigning league MVP, struggled from the field, hitting only 7 of 20 shots but still managed to finish with 23 points, 9 assists, and 4 rebounds.
What It Means
The Lakers now find themselves down 3-0 in their best-of-seven second-round series. Historically, no team has ever come back from such a deficit in the playoffs.
Turning Point
Isaiah Joe made two consecutive three-pointers to close out the third quarter, giving the Thunder a 90-79 lead going into the final period. The Lakers did narrow the gap to five points with a short 7-0 run, but the Thunder quickly answered, pushing their lead back to 11 points.
Throughout the fourth quarter, the Thunder maintained a double-digit advantage.
MVP: Ajay Mitchell
The young guard once again carried the Lakers during a challenging game for Gilgeous-Alexander, shooting 10 of 17 from the floor, including 2 of 4 from beyond the arc. In the second half alone, he scored 18 points and dished out 7 assists.
Game Status: 44. That’s the number of points the Thunder scored from turnovers and second-chance opportunities.
Next
Game 4 between the Lakers and the Thunder is set for Monday at 7:30 PM PT at Crypto.com Arena.
