OKLAHOMA CITY — Lakers Face Tough Challenge Beyond Gilgeous-Alexander

The Lakers are grappling with issues that go beyond just Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

After losing Game 2 on Thursday, the Lakers now trail the Thunder 0-2 in a best-of-seven playoff series, with Game 3 slated for Saturday in Los Angeles and Game 4 on Monday.

The Lakers are aiming to avoid an 0-3 situation—a deficit no team has overcome in playoff history.

If they can’t secure a win, especially while Gilgeous-Alexander, likely a repeat MVP, is off the court, elimination could come swiftly from the defending NBA champions.

“We discussed some things, but we outscored them by 9 during the time SGA wasn’t playing,” coach JJ Reddick noted. “In the second half, we were ahead by 32-14 with seven turnovers. They hit 14 free throws in that stretch. We need to reevaluate our lineup and find ways to improve during those crucial minutes.”

In the 13 minutes Gilgeous-Alexander sat in Game 1, the Thunder outperformed the Lakers by nine points.

They amplified that success in Game 2, where the Thunder outscored the Lakers by 13 points during the 20 minutes that Gilgeous-Alexander was on the bench, creating a combined 22-point advantage across both games when he wasn’t on the floor.

Despite Austin Reeves scoring 31 points in Game 2, the Lakers still seek their first win of the series.

In the 63 minutes Gilgeous-Alexander played, the Thunder outscored the Lakers by 14 points.

“We need to stay resilient, even when he’s off the court,” Rui Hachimura remarked. “When he came out, we relaxed a bit. We have to keep up the intensity. Everyone can make plays, and we can’t afford mistakes.”

The “little mistakes” Hachimura mentioned were glaring during the third quarter, where the Lakers suffered a 36-22 loss, particularly after Gilgeous-Alexander picked up his fourth foul.

Poor defensive rebounding also put the Lakers at a disadvantage. The Thunder capitalized on four offensive rebounds, scoring nine second-chance points while Gilgeous-Alexander sat out.

In Game 2, they managed 17 second-chance points from nine offensive rebounds, taking advantage of the Lakers’ defense shifts that allowed their bigger players to secure more rebounds and create additional scoring opportunities.

“We did well defensively initially,” LeBron James remarked. “But we need to clean the glass. We allowed Chet [Holmgren] to grab offensive rebounds and get to the free-throw line. We have to minimize those second-chance points against a team like this.”

Another issue was struggling to contain Jared McCain, who scored 15 points on four 3-pointers in Game 1 and followed that up with 18 points on perfect shooting from beyond the arc in Game 2.

With too many fouls and turnovers, the Thunder were quick to capitalize on these errors.

Holmgren contributed significantly, scoring 22 points with 9 rebounds, while Ajay Mitchell added 20 points. This trio combined for 60 points, pushing the Thunder ahead in the series.

“We need to be more aggressive,” Luke Kennard said. “We’ve been double-teaming Shai a lot, which leaves some players open. But when he’s off, we can’t take a step back. Our physicality needs to improve; that’s crucial, and we need to address it.”

Unless the Lakers can adjust, they may find it difficult to compete with the Thunder.