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Congratulations, Lakers!
You held Oklahoma City Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to fewer than 20 points for the first time since Game 3 of the Western Conference finals last May 24. You forced him into a season-high seven turnovers. And — get this, this part is really wild — you afforded the man who basically lives at the charity stripe only three free-throw attempts.
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You should be so proud.
You should also know now for sure: It’s not happening.
You’re not knocking off Oklahoma City.
You held SGA, the reigning league MVP, to 18 points and you lost Game 1 of this Western Conference semifinal series by 18 points, 108-90.
Read more: Thunder pull away in second half to defeat Lakers in Game 1
And now you know you’re not mounting a monumental upset and dethroning the defending NBA champions.
You can play a bit better in Games 2, 3 and 4, sure. Austin Reaves could shoot better than three for 16. Marcus Smart should shoot better than four for 15. Luke Kennard ought to shoot more than four times.
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But unless, by some miracle, Luka Doncic’s ailing hamstring is healed by Game 2 on Thursday, the Thunder are just much too much for these Lakers.
Oklahoma City gave them a rusty, tin-man version of SGA for a game and continued playing without his injured co-star Jalen Williams. And still, the Thunder were too talented, too deep, too well-coached.
They’re also too aggressive, too confident, too experienced, too together, too clever.
Oh, but I’m going on too long, let the Smart take it from here …
Thunder guard Jared McCain, driving to the basket against Lakers forward Rui Hachimura, had 12 points off the bench in Game 1, making four of five three-point shots. (Kyle Phillips / Associated Press)
“No matter what, they’re relentless in their pursuit,” he said. “They’re constantly on the move, they’re constantly downhill, putting defenses on their heels. So when you got guys like that, that’s constantly putting pressure, not only on you just offensively, but defensively, it is tough. And they come in waves, right? And when they get hot and get going, they can really get going. So they’re…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/swanson-lakers-fail-game-1-110000304.html
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Publish date : 2026-05-06 11:00:00
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