Lakers lost Game 1 by 18. It might only get worse vs. Thunder

Right before Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals between the Los Angeles Lakers and Oklahoma City Thunder tipped off on Tuesday, May 5, Lakers head coach JJ Redick took a seat on the bench, closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

He’s going to need to take a few more throughout this series.

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Because even though the Lakers led for most of the first quarter, even though they hung around for the first three quarters and were a foul call and a missed buzzer-beater away from going into halftime trailing by just five points, it just wasn’t enough to keep it all from unraveling in a 108-90 loss.

Redick’s gameplan was solid. LeBron James had 27 points, six assists and four rebounds. Four of the Lakers’ five starters scored in double figures. None of it was enough.

Not against this Thunder squad. Redick said it himself when he told reporters pregame that “we’ve sucked against this team.”

Sure, Austin Reaves had a very, very rough night. And LA as a whole struggled from beyond the arc, shooting just 33% from long range. But it was clear that the Lakers were simply bested and worn down by a well-rounded team. They were outscored 39-25 over the final 18 minutes. They had no answer for Chet Holmgren and their offense looked completely stumped by OKC’s physical defense by the final frame, which translated to easy buckets far too often as the Lakers allowed 20 points off of their 18 turnovers.

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“Once you make a couple mental mistakes, it seems like they take advantage of every one of them,” Reaves told reporters.

It all underscores one simple sentiment that has reverberated throughout NBA discussion circles: the Lakers just don’t have a chance of winning this series. Not without Luka Doncic.

NBA GAME 1 WINNERS, LOSERS: Thunder overpower Lakers; Pistons prevail

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Publish date : 2026-05-06 05:13:00

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