Even if Marcus Smart and the Lakers limit Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, they’ll have to maintain intensity throughout Game 3 to pull back a game.
The Los Angeles Lakers made incremental improvements from Game 1 to Game 2 against Oklahoma City.
They shot better from the field, and Austin Reaves produced the necessary scoring with a game-high 31 points.
But it wasn’t enough to alter the outcome as the Thunder defeated the Lakers 125-107 in Game 2 on Thursday. It was Oklahoma City’s second consecutive 18-point victory over Los Angeles.
The Lakers need a more complete effort to avoid a 3-0 deficit in this Western Conference semifinal series. That’s a difficult task given the Thunder might be better and deeper than they were a year ago when they won the franchise’s first NBA championship.
Game 3 is Saturday in Los Angeles (8:30 ET, ABC). Here are three things to watch for:
1. Focus on the basics for Lakers
Opponents cannot give the Thunder extra chances, and the Lakers have done too much of that with turnovers and the Thunder’s offensive rebounds.
In the series, Oklahoma City has outscored Los Angeles 38-17 in second-chance points and 46-32 in points off turnovers.
During the regular season, the Thunder ranked No. 2 in opponents’ turnovers per game and No. 1 in points off turnovers.
“We probably need to go back to the two keys we had against Houston (in the first round) which is take care of the ball and box out,” said Lakers coach JJ Redick.
2. Thunder thrive in non-SGA minutes
The Lakers had a 66-61 lead when Oklahoma City star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander went to the bench with his fourth foul at 10:34 of the third quarter.
When Gilgeous-Alexander re-entered the game at the start of the fourth quarter, the Thunder led 93-80 – it was a 32-14 Thunder run with Gilgeous-Alexander on the bench.
In the 33 minutes Gilgeous-Alexander has been on the bench in this series, the Thunder have outscored the Lakers 87-65. It’s a small sample size, but the Thunder have scored 133.8 points per 100 possessions with Gilgeous-Alexander off the court.
Locked in as a unit 🔒 pic.twitter.com/erWRvt2eh2
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) May 8, 2026
It illustrates the Thunder’s talent and depth – their bench has outscored the Lakers’ reserves 82-35 through two games.
“It was amazing,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “They strung together stops … I have full confidence in those guys. They know how to win basketball games. They’ve proven that. No matter who’s on the floor, they know how to get the job done.”
The Lakers are shorthanded with Luka Dončić (strained left hamstring) sidelined for what appears will be the entire series, and Jarred Vanderbilt (dislocated right finger) missed Game 2. But the Thunder are also without 2024-25 All-Star Jalen Williams (left hamstring strain).
3. A complete game from the Lakers
The Lakers have played well at times – the first half of Game 2 and stretches of the second and third quarters in Game 1 – and they have had solid contributions from LeBron James, Rui Hachimura, Deandre Ayton and Austin Reaves. The Lakers can use more efficient 3-point shooting from Luke Kennard and Marcus Smart and stronger performances from the rest of the rotation.
Oklahoma City’s top-ranked defense and No. 7 offense make it difficult on the Lakers. The Thunder are a matchup problem for every team, and the margin for error for the Lakers is small. Can they pull it off?
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Jeff Zillgitt has covered the NBA since 2008. You can email him at jzillgitt@nba.com, find his archive here and follow him on X.
