Without Luka Doncic, Thunder Series Is A Lose-lose For Lakers

I swear, if Luka Doncic was playing, this second-round bid against nan Oklahoma City Thunder would beryllium going differently.

The Lakers wouldn’t beryllium losing …

… 2nd halves by truthful much.

But if his hamstring allowed their violative motor to drive, nan discourtesy mightiness not beryllium humming. But nan Lakers could astir apt support it running.

They mightiness not beryllium keeping pace, but pinch nan league’s starring scorer contributing, nan spread wouldn’t beryllium a twelvemonth wide by each game’s end.

The Lakers really miss Doncic. Duh.

But it’s not only because, without him, they’re stuck reliving a recurring nightmare; successful each 3 games, nan Lakers person played Oklahoma City reliable successful nan first half, including taking nan lead into halftime successful Games 2 and 3, only for it to beryllium yanked away.

It’s besides because they’re besides losing information points connected nan scoreboard going into a pivotal offseason.

This full Western Conference semifinal bid against these defending champions has been a lose-lose proposition for nan Lakers, who are now down 3-0 and staring into nan elimination abyss successful Game 4 connected Monday.

But propulsion successful nan 33.5 points per crippled Doncic averaged this season, and nan Lakers don’t get outscored by a mixed 54 points aft halftime.

Calculate for Doncic’s profession 30.9 points per playoff game, and let’s presume their high-water people would surely eclipse Saturday’s tally successful their 131-108 Game 3 loss astatine Crypto.com Arena.

For immoderate that’s worth.

Which is small compared to what other nan Lakers miss pinch Doncic connected nan bench, nursing nan Grade 2 hamstring strain he suffered connected April 2 successful Oklahoma City.

Lakers guardant LeBron James, sliding backward crossed nan baseline, looks for a foul telephone connected a missed layup during Game 3 against nan Thunder.

(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

For nan Lakers, this end-of-the-road bid is astir valuable arsenic an information play for adjacent season. It’s a barometer reading: You are here. The Thunder are there.

The extremity now is to build a squad astir Doncic that could conceivably support gait pinch Oklahoma City, and truthful they’re evaluating who will thief do that if they travel on for nan thrust adjacent year.

But nan Lakers are doing these playoff measurements without Doncic connected nan court. They’re test-driving nan incorrect car toward vacation.

Doncic tin expect a postcard successful nan mail: Wish you were there.

So does he, of course.

“It’s very frustrating,” Doncic said betwixt Games 1 and 2, opinionated pinch his hands successful his pockets, pained to study that he wasn’t adjacent to returning, 5 weeks into his eight-week return-to-work timeline.

“I don’t deliberation group understand really frustrating it is. All I wanna do is play basketball, particularly this time. It’s nan champion clip to play basketball. It’s very frustrating seeing what my squad is doing. I’m very proud of them. It’s been very tough, to, conscionable to beryllium and watch them play.”

He sewage to spot nan Lakers upset nan Houston Rockets successful a six-game, first-round bid without him and, for 4 games, Austin Reaves — who is averaging 18.7 points and shooting 40% from nan level and 25% from three-point scope this series, having go a higher privilege of nan Thunder’s beingness defense without having to woody pinch Doncic.

On Saturday, Doncic had to watch different lead — and pinch it, different opportunity to bargain a crippled — vanish arsenic if by a sadistic magic trick. As clip wore down, Doncic sat connected nan chair adjacent to Reaves, staring blankly, hands folded successful his lap, for illustration truthful galore Lakers fans astatine nan arena.

The Lakers’ latest deflating nonaccomplishment could person utilized Doncic’s energy,his showmanship, his fire. He’s among nan league-leaders successful that, too.

“Look, yeah, erstwhile you person nan league’s starring scorer retired location – if he was – it decidedly changes nan move of a team,” said defender Luke Kennard, who scored 13 of his series-high 18 points successful nan first half Saturday.

“Obviously, we miss him. And we cognize he’s moving his butt disconnected correct now [to return to play] … but yeah, I mean, he would decidedly alteration it for us. But correct now, he’s not.”

Kennard is right, of course. Things would beryllium different if Doncic was retired location dealing.

Not that different.

But nan Lakers astatine slightest wouldn’t beryllium moving retired of state truthful acold from getting location each game, and they’d besides person a amended thought of really overmuch farther they person to go.