Lakers Drop Game 3 To Thunder; Now One Loss From Elimination

The Lakers are 1 playoff conclusion from their play being complete and from nan speech turning to LeBron James’ future.

They are successful a spread nary squad has climbed retired of successful nan history of nan NBA, nan Lakers’ 131-108 loss to nan Oklahoma City Thunder successful Game 3 putting L.A. down 3-0 successful nan best-of-seven Western Conference semifinal series.

James and his teammates gave a gallant effort Saturday nighttime astatine Crypto.com Arena, but nan defending champion proved to beryllium much than nan Lakers could handle.

James vanished his nighttime pinch 19 points connected seven-for-19 shooting, 8 assists and six rebounds. Rui Hachimura had 21 points and Austin Reaves vanished pinch 17 points and 9 assists.

Even so, nan Lakers person now mislaid each 3 games by double digits.

And nan Lakers are afloat alert that nary NBA squad has successfully travel backmost from a 3-0 shortage successful nan playoffs, pinch those teams holding a 161-0 record. Only 4 teams person forced a Game 7 aft trailing 3-0, each of which yet mislaid nan series, including nan Boston Celtics successful 2023.

Lakers guardant LeBron James shows vexation arsenic Thunder halfway Chet Holmgren slam dunks during Game 3 connected Saturday night.

(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

Game 4 is Monday night, erstwhile nan Lakers will effort to stave disconnected elimination and a nighttime that will find really nan conversations spell pinch James if they lose.

James has been often asked this play astir retirement, but he has not fixed immoderate denotation of what nan early holds for him.

He’s 41 years aged and playing successful an NBA-record 23rd season.

James is successful nan last twelvemonth of his statement that pays him $52 million, making him a free supplier this offseason. He tin retire, subordinate different squad aliases possibly return to nan Lakers adjacent season.

That will beryllium nan speech if nan Lakers can’t triumph Game 4.

They will spot nan aforesaid Thunder squad that had 7 players people successful double figures, led by Ajay Mitchell’s 24 points and 10 assists and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s 23 points and 9 assists.

The Lakers went down 13 successful nan 3rd 4th and had to play catchup nan remainder of nan way. They ne'er did, going down by 112-94 pinch 6 minutes and 12 seconds left, forcing Lakers coach JJ Redick to telephone a timeout.

The shortage conscionable kept growing, topping retired astatine 27 points successful nan fourth.

They were outscored 33-20 successful nan 3rd quarter. The Lakers didn’t return attraction of nan hoops successful nan third, turning it complete six times, and they didn’t play bully defense, allowing nan Thunder to sprout 59.1% from nan section and 55.6 percent from three-point range,

The Lakers did not springiness an inch to nan Thunder successful nan first half, moreover erstwhile they fell down by 10 points.

They conscionable kept grinding until they led 59-57 astatine halftime.

Hachimura had 16 points successful nan first half, continuing his basking three-point shooting by making each 4 of his threes. Luke Kennard came disconnected nan chair to springiness nan Lakers 13 points, shooting 5 for six from nan section and 3 for 4 from three-point range.

The Lakers kept nan unit defense connected Gilgeous-Alexander. Though he had 14 points successful nan first half, he changeable only 4 for 14 from nan section and 1 for 5 from three-point range.

The Lakers changeable 55% from three-point scope successful nan first half, which went a agelong measurement successful helping them.

The Lakers mislaid nan first 2 games by identical margins of 18 points and each nonaccomplishment was magnified because Gilgeous-Alexander was kept nether wraps for nan astir portion by L.A.’s defense.

When Gilgeous-Alexander picked up his 4th foul pinch 10:34 near successful nan 3rd 4th of Game 2 and went to nan bench, nan Thunder turned a five-point lead into a 13-point advantage astatine nan extremity of nan quarter.

So, erstwhile he wasn’t connected nan court, nan Lakers grounded to return advantage.

“Well, you know, again, I’ll repetition what I said aft nan game: we’ve sewage to beryllium amended successful nan non-Shai minutes,” Lakers coach JJ Redick said.

Role players for illustration Mitchell and Jared McCain wounded nan Lakers successful nan 2nd game. Chet Holmgren besides was difficult to woody with.

“Mitchell and McCain person wounded america successful those non-Shai minutes, and past Chet [Holmgren] has wounded america nan full game,” Redick said. “I deliberation you’ve sewage to beryllium consenting to unrecorded pinch something. Shai playing one-on-one, frankincense acold successful nan series, we haven’t been consenting to unrecorded with, truthful you’re going to beryllium successful rotation. That tin lead to smalls connected bigs astatine nan hole, and nan violative rebounding from Chet has really wounded us.”