Lakers Vent About Refs Before Trudging Home Down 2-0

From Broderick Turner: LeBron James sat pinch some feet successful a bucket of crystal and some knees wrapped successful ice, his answers little erstwhile nan taxable of nan officiating came up aft nan Lakers lost Game 2 to nan Oklahoma City Thunder, 125-107, Thursday nighttime astatine Paycom Center.

James conscionable looked consecutive up and kept his answers short moreover erstwhile he was told his coach, JJ Redick, voiced his displeasure pinch nan officiating, particularly erstwhile it was astir nan deficiency of calls for his 23-year veteran.

When asked astir nan officials, which became nan main taxable aft nan Lakers dropped a 2nd consecutive crippled by 18 points successful nan best-of-seven semifinal series, James was diplomatic.

“We’re down 2-0,” he said.

Indeed, nan Lakers are down 2-0 successful nan that resumes pinch Game 3 connected Saturday nighttime successful Los Angeles.

Still, James was asked astir Redick saying his superstar gets immoderate of nan worst calls and why that is nan lawsuit — astatine slightest successful nan eyes of Redick.

“I don’t know,” James said.

Again, James was asked astir his speech pinch nan officials and if he’s satisfied pinch their answers.

“Nah,” James said.

James changeable only 4 free throws successful nan game, and he made each four, finishing pinch 23 points. Austin Reaves responded from a bad Game 1 by scoring a playoff career-high 31 points connected 10-for-16 shooting, making 3 if six three-pointers.

Even pinch an awesome Lakers defense that perpetually doubled teamed Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to support him to 22 points and successful foul problem astir of nan game, L.A. spent a batch of clip aft nan crippled complaining astir nan officials.

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Lakers-Thunder container score

Turn retired nan lights, Lakers are done

Lakers guardant LeBron James stands connected nan tribunal arsenic immoderate fans clasp up photograph cut-outs of Oklahoma City Thunder players Thursday.

(Nate Billings / Associated Press)

From Bill Plaschke: They person agelong since proven themselves arsenic an endlessly efforting Laker squad that ne'er believes they’re beaten.

They’re beaten.

With nan benignant of resounding resilience that had earlier carried them to playoff wins without their 2 starring scorers, these Lakers person shown they desperately do not want this play to beryllium over.

It’s over.

The Oklahoma City Thunder overcame different valiant Lakers complaint Thursday nighttime to win their 2nd game successful 2 tries successful nan Western Conference semifinals astatine Paycom Center.

The Lakers played hard, played tough, played nan Thunder from baseline to baseline, played beardown capable to alert location pinch pride.

And still mislaid by 18.

The 125-107 Thunder victory gives nan defending champions a two-games-to-none lead successful a bid that is scheduled for arsenic galore arsenic 7 games.

It’s not lasting anyplace adjacent that long.

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Lakers fans tin blasted this connected nan Clippers

Oklahoma City Thunder defender Shai Gilgeous-Alexander drives to nan handbasket past Lakers Deandre Ayton and LeBron James Thursday night.

(Nate Billings / Associated Press)

From Mirjam Swanson: Don’t blasted nan refs, blasted the Clippers.

They created this monster. They sent it retired into nan world.

The Oklahoma City Thunder, top-seeded successful nan NBA playoffs for nan 3rd consecutive season, are moving roughshod complete opponents. Kicking everybody’s butts and driving everyone up nan wall.

And, oh, Clippers what did you do?

This Oklahoma City juggernaut, built to past successful an era that would different beryllium remembered for its parity?

It was spawned connected July 6, 2019, erstwhile nan Clippers traded Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Danilo Gallinari and a boatload of draught picks to nan Thunder successful speech for Paul George, who they paired pinch free supplier Kawhi Leonard, mortgaging their early connected nan grounded stake that 2 Southern Californians would lead nan franchise to its first NBA title.

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MORE LAKERS:

‘That’s what we need.’ Austin Reaves bounces backmost successful Lakers’ Game 2 loss

A look astatine really Shohei Ohtani is moving to threat his slump

Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani doubles during a triumph complete nan Astros successful Houston connected Wednesday.

(Ashley Landis / Associated Press)

From Maddie Lee: It was to almost nan aforesaid spot arsenic nan overmuch harder cutter Ohtani had conscionable fouled off. But Ohtani, starting his plaything connected clip for nan fastball, recognized nan sweeper early capable to extremity this momentum, propulsion his hands to nan ball, and deed a debased statement thrust up nan right-field statement for a double.

That deed successful nan 3rd inning of nan Dodgers’ 12-2 blowout triumph Wednesday was his first successful complete a week. He’d gone 18 consecutive at-bats without a hit. Watching Ohtani grind done nan slump, head Dave Roberts moreover decided to springiness Ohtani nan time disconnected from hitting erstwhile he took nan mound Tuesday.

Then connected Wednesday — whether it was nan consequence of that break, aliases on-field batting believe 2 days before, aliases a culmination of work, aliases immoderate operation of nan 3 — Ohtani logged 2 hits and a walk.

“Today was a bully time for Shohei,” Roberts said.

So, what was going wrong, and really is Ohtani going astir trying to make judge his bully time becomes nan commencement of an violative turnaround?

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MLB scores

MLB standings

Why Kelsey Plum believes this is nan Sparks’ year

Sparks defender Kelsey Plum near a WNBA champion successful Las Vegas for a chance to build a title contender.

(Elsa Garrison / Getty Images)

From Marisa Ingemi: On a uncommon disconnected time successful Los Angeles, Sparks guard Kelsey Plum settles into a quieter rhythm. She brings a book to a canine parkland adjacent her home, finds a spot, and reads. But moreover here, nan stillness is partial astatine best. Her mind keeps working, circling nan aforesaid mobility that has followed her done each shape of her career. What does greatness really require?

Right now, Plum is reference “The Talent Code,” a book that digs into nan hostility betwixt quality and nurture. It’s not precisely ray reference for a time off, but past again, she isn’t really wired for disconnected days.

“Talent,” she says, “takes countless hours of practice. Sure, you person immoderate earthy ability, but you person to train it. You look astatine for illustration a Russian tennis player, why are they good? Is it random? The similarity pinch greatness is practice.”

That idea, believe arsenic nan awesome equalizer, shapes really Plum sees her profession now, successful a infinitesimal that demands much from her than ever before.

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Lakers playoff schedule

Second round
All times Pacific
at Oklahoma City 108, Lakers 90 (box score)
at Oklahoma City 125, Lakers 107, (box score)
Saturday astatine Lakers, 5:30 p.m., ABC
Monday astatine Lakers, 7:30 p.m., Prime Video
*Wednesday astatine Oklahoma City, TBD
*Saturday, May 16 astatine Lakers, TBD
*Monday, May 18 astatine Oklahoma City, TBD
*- if necessary

Ducks playoffs schedule

Second round
All times Pacific
at Vegas 3, Ducks 1 (summary)
Ducks 3, astatine Vegas 1 (summary)
Friday astatine Ducks, 6:30 p.m., TNT, truTV, HBO MAX
Sunday astatine Ducks, 6:30 p.m., ESPN
*Tuesday astatine Vegas, TBD, ESPN
*Thursday, May 14 astatine Ducks, TBD, TNT, truTV, HBO MAX
*Saturday, May 16 astatine Vegas, TBA, ABC aliases ESPN
*-if necessary

This time successful sports history

1907 — Canadian Tommy Burns retains his world heavyweight boxing title aft beating ‘Philadelphia’ Jack O’Brien connected points successful 20 rounds.

1915 — Regret, ridden by Joe Notter, becomes nan first filly to triumph nan Kentucky Derby, pinch a 2-length wire-to-wire triumph complete Pebbles.

1937 — War Admiral, nan favourite ridden by Charles Kurtsinger, wins nan Kentucky Derby by 1 3/4 lengths complete Pompoon.

1943 — Count Fleet, ridden by Johnny Longden, wins nan Preakness Stakes by 8 lengths complete Blue Swords.

1954 — World grounds holder William Parry O’Brien becomes nan first man to propulsion nan changeable put much than 60 feet pinch a 60-5¼ flip astatine a meet successful Los Angeles.

1967 — Muhammad Ali is indicted for refusing induction successful U.S. Army.

1968 — Jim “Catfish” Hunter of nan Oakland A’s pitches a cleanable game, beating nan Minnesota Twins 4-0. It is nan first cleanable crippled successful nan American League regular play successful 46 seasons.

1970 — Walt Frazier scores 36 points to lead nan New York Knicks to a 113-99 triumph complete nan Los Angeles Lakers and nan NBA title successful 7 games.

1974 — FC Magdenburg of East Germany triumph 14th European Cup Winner’s Cup against AC Milan of Italy 2-0 successful Rotterdam.

1984 — On nan time nan Olympic torch relay begins, nan Soviet Union announces it will not return portion successful nan 1984 Summer Olympics. The Soviet National Olympic Committee Union said nan information of Soviet athletes would beryllium intolerable because of “the gross flouting” of Olympic ideals by U.S. authorities.

1993 — Lennox Lewis of Britain scores a unanimous 12-round determination complete Tony Tucker successful his first defense of nan WBC heavyweight title successful Las Vegas.

1995 — New Zealand’s Black Magic 1 takes a 2-0 lead, defeating Young America by nan widest separator for a challenger since nan 1871 America’s Cup.

1996 — Paris Saint-Germain of France triumph 36th European Cup Winner’s Cup against Rapid Wien of Austria 1-0 successful Brussels.

2001 — Randy Johnson becomes nan 3rd pitcher to onslaught retired 20 successful 9 innings. He doesn’t decorativeness nan crippled arsenic nan Arizona Diamondbacks spell connected to hit Cincinnati 4-3 successful 11 innings.

2003 — Minnesota becomes nan first squad successful NHL history to rebound from 2 3-1 bid deficits to triumph successful 1 postseason pinch a 4-2 triumph astatine Vancouver.

2011 — University of Georgia elder Russell Henley becomes nan 2nd amateur victor successful PGA Nationwide Tour history, shooting a 3-under 68 for a two-stroke triumph successful nan Stadion Classic.

2011 — The Tradition Senior Men’s Golf, Shoal Creek G&CC: Tom Lehman wins 2nd of 3 Champions Tour fields pinch par connected 2nd playoff spread against Australian Peter Senior.

2012 — Josh Hamilton becomes nan 16th subordinate to deed 4 location runs successful a game, launching a quartet of two-run drives against 3 different pitchers to transportation nan Texas Rangers to a 10-3 triumph complete nan Baltimore Orioles.

2013 — Alex Ferguson announces his status arsenic Manchester United’s head astatine nan extremity of nan season.

2014 — The Houston Texans takes South Carolina protect extremity Jadeveon Clowney pinch nan first prime successful nan NFL draft. The draft’s different large name, Texas A&M backmost Johnny Manziel, sits until Cleveland makes its 3rd waste and acquisition of nan information and grabs nan 2012 Heisman Trophy victor astatine No. 22.

2018 — Seattle Mariners MLB left-hander James Paxton hurls a no-hitter successful a 5-0 triumph complete nan Blue Jays successful Toronto.

Compiled by nan Associated Press.

Until adjacent time...

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