OKLAHOMA CITY — The Lakers were far from perfect when it came to their game plan execution during Tuesday’s 108-90 Game 1 loss to the Thunder at Paycom Center.
But they did enough to hang around against the defending NBA champions.
They disrupted Thunder star guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s offensive rhythm with multiple defensive coverages.
They limited their live-ball turnovers, still finishing with 18 but only allowing 20 points off those giveaways.
But it wasn’t enough to pull off the victory, with coach JJ Redick pulling his main rotation players with 1:45 remaining with his team trailing 105-87 after watching his team struggle to put together an effective offense for most of the second half.
The Lakers scored just 37 second-half points after having 53 points in the first two quarters.
LeBron James led the Lakers with 27 points on 12-of-17 shooting to go with 6 assists, 4 rebounds.
Rui Hachimura had 18 points on 7-of-13 shooting while Deandre Ayton added a 10 point-11 rebound double-double, but the offense was stuck in the mud for most of Tuesday night.
Austin Reaves (8 points on 3-of-16 shooting to go with 6 assists, 5 rebounds and 4 turnovers) struggled. So did Marcus Smart (12 points on 4-of-15 shooting to go with 7 assists and 4 rebounds).
And the Lakers didn’t get much scoring from their bench, which only produced 15 points compared to the Thunder’s 34.
The Thunder were led by a 24 point-12 rebound double-double from Chet Holmgren, while Gilgeous-Alexander and Ajay Mitchell both scored 18 points.
What it means
The Lakers are trailing in the second round playoff series, 0-1, after Tuesday’s loss.
Tuesday marked the fourth time in five matchups they lost to the Thunder by at least 18 points this season.
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Turning point
When the Thunder went on a 7-0 run after the Lakers cut their deficit to four midway through the third quarter.
Gilgeous-Alexander hit a pull-up jumper to start the Thunder’s run, with the Lakers getting a pair of missed 3s from Reaves and one from Smart during their scoring drought, before Lu Dort knocked down a 3 after a turnover from Jaxson Hayes.
After another turnover from Reaves, which was his fourth of the game, Cason Wallace made a layup to put the Thunder up 76-65, with Redick calling timeout at the 4:35 mark to slow down the run.
The Lakers trailed by at least eight points for the remainder of the game.
MVP: Chet Holmgren
During a game Gilgeous-Alexander uncharacteristically struggled with taking care of the ball (7 turnovers) as the Lakers sent multiple defenders his way, Holmgren stepped up with play finishing, serving as a release valve for the offense and providing a strong rim presence.
Holmgren led the Thunder with 9 first-quarter points and had most of his scoring total (18) by halftime, helping his team take a 61-53 lead goung into the third quarter.
Stat of the game: 41.7%
That was the Lakers’ field goal percentage against the Thunder, a reflection of their offensive struggles.
Up next
The Lakers and Thunder will match up again on Thursday at Paycom Center for Game 2 of the second round series.
The game is scheduled to tip off at 6:30 p.m. PT.
