The Lakers needed a spark… instead, something else is happening

We have to insist on what was said beforehand: the Los Angeles Lakers have no real chance of beating the Oklahoma City Thunder and advancing. If anything, the situation looks even bleaker, with it increasingly difficult to imagine the Lakers winning even a single game. That lone victory would at least offer a small consolation, a bittersweet ending after starting the series without Luka Doncic and following a second straight season of more than 50 wins.

There is always someone in Los Angeles willing to see the glass half full, to stay optimistic, to look away and focus on something else because what matters is the franchise’s long-term outlook – and that the Celtics do not win. This year, those two ideas align perfectly. Better days will come in the City of Angels. For now, they are still alive, though already three losses away from the end of their season.

A win that feels like science fiction

Whether that elusive victory arrives – something that currently feels like science fiction – seems to depend more on the Thunder having a terrible night than on anything the Lakers can control. With or without Luka Doncic, who remains unavailable, the outcome does not appear to be in their hands. In the opening game, the Lakers performed far better than in any of their four regular-season losses to this opponent. They were more compact, far more active defensively, rotating well and opting for simpler solutions on offense, once again led by an outstanding LeBron James.

But over the final quarter and a half, they were outscored 39–25, turning a 69–65 game into a 108–90 defeat. The feeling lingered that they were little more than a toy in their opponent’s hands – the Thunder deciding when to push and when to pull away. JJ Redick will try again to find answers. If there are any.

Thunder dominance growing by the game

The Thunder needed only slightly more effort than usual, but they remain undefeated in the playoffs (5–0) and at home (3–0). Meanwhile, their supposed main rivals, the Spurs, continue to drop games, while the Timberwolves are emerging as a physical, imposing threat. Against the Lakers, Mark Daigneault’s team led by as many as 21 points, won every quarter – even if by narrow margins – and secured their second-largest playoff win so far: +18, surpassed only by the +35 against the Suns in the first round.

They followed that with wins by 13, 12, and 9 points. It is difficult to see anyone slowing them down. The familiar narrative about seven different champions in seven years does little to explain what is happening here – no reigning champion has returned to the playoffs with this level of control and authority.

LeBron James, still defying time

At 41 years old and in his 23rd season, LeBron James continues to deliver at an extraordinary level, even as the team around him falters. He opened with 12 points in the first quarter, shooting 5-of-6 from the field and 2-of-3 from three, leading an early 7–0 run that quickly proved misleading.

By halftime, he had 16 points and 2 assists on 7-of-11 shooting. He finished with 27 points, 4 rebounds, 6 assists and just 2 turnovers in more than 36 minutes, shooting 12-of-17 overall and 3-of-6 from beyond the arc, without attempting a single free throw. Whether the Lakers can find a way to capitalize on that remains unclear. The margins elsewhere are minimal: 16–14 in fouls committed and 13–12 in free throws attempted, both slightly in their favor. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s ability to draw contact remains a factor, inconsistently rewarded.

Too little support, too few answers

LeBron, despite his brilliance, was far too alone. DeAndre Ayton’s strong start faded (10 points and 12 rebounds, including 5 offensive), Rui Hachimura continues to appear underused – though how to unlock him remains uncertain (18 points on 7-of-13 shooting) – and Marcus Smart contributed across the board (12 points, 4 rebounds, 7 assists, 4 steals), even admitting afterward that the team failed to execute Redick’s plan.

The reality may be simpler: they cannot. Not when Austin Reaves struggles so badly (3-of-16 shooting, 0-of-5 from three for 8 points), disrupting rotations and limiting Luka Kennard, who has not rediscovered his earlier form (7 points on 4 attempts). Without Doncic, the rotation stretched to include Jaxson Hayes and Jack LaRavia, who played 16 and 14 minutes. Jarred Vanderbilt suffered a dislocation in just six minutes and did not return. Beyond that, contributions were minimal. Solutions are scarce.

Holmgren leads another complete display

The Thunder, without needing to shine, delivered another complete performance. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had 18 points and 6 assists, though with 7 turnovers, while Ajay Mitchell matched his scoring output and Jared McCain added 12 points off the bench, hitting 4-of-5 from three.

But the night belonged to Chet Holmgren: 24 points, 12 rebounds and 3 blocks, clearly outperforming Ayton. The Thunder shot nearly 50% from the field and over 43% from three, won the rebounding battle (44–41), recorded more assists (29–26) and committed fewer turnovers (14–17). They did not dominate any single category outright, but they edged every one.

They won when they wanted and how they wanted against a team that gave everything and got nothing in return. The Lakers will keep trying, but whether anyone likes it or not, this is the reality they face.

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Oklahoma City Thunder

Stats

5 Luguentz Dort
7 Chet Holmgren
55 Isaiah Hartenstein
2 Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
25 Ajay Mitchell
9 Alex Caruso
11 Isaiah Joe
3 Jared McCain
44 Nikola Topić
22 Cason Wallace
21 Aaron Wiggins
6 Jaylin Williams
34 Kenrich Williams

Stats

	Min	Pts	TR	OR	DR	Ast	Los	Rec	Blk	S1	S2	S3	RF	CF
5 Luguentz Dort	27	6	3	0	3	4	2	0	0	0/0	0/0	2/5	0	1
7 Chet Holmgren	30	24	12	3	9	1	0	1	3	4/4	7/15	2/2	0	0
55 Isaiah Hartenstein	24	8	9	2	7	4	0	1	1	2/2	3/3	0/0	0	2
2 Shai Gilgeous-Alexander	35	18	3	0	3	6	7	1	2	2/3	8/14	0/1	0	1
25 Ajay Mitchell	27	18	2	0	2	4	1	0	0	3/3	6/11	1/5	0	1
9 Alex Caruso	20	5	2	0	2	2	0	0	0	0/0	1/1	1/4	0	1
11 Isaiah Joe	11	9	1	0	1	1	0	1	0	0/0	3/3	1/3	0	0
3 Jared McCain	14	12	2	1	1	2	0	0	0	0/0	0/2	4/5	0	3
44 Nikola Topić	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0/0	0/0	0/0	0	0
22 Cason Wallace	19	5	3	1	2	2	2	3	1	0/0	1/3	1/3	0	2
21 Aaron Wiggins	4	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0/0	0/2	0/0	0	0
6 Jaylin Williams	20	3	7	2	5	3	2	1	0	0/0	0/1	1/2	0	3
34 Kenrich Williams	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0/0	0/0	0/0	0	0

Los Angeles Lakers

Stats

28 Rui Hachimura
23 LeBron James
5 Deandre Ayton
15 Austin Reaves
36 Marcus Smart
11 Jaxson Hayes
9 Bronny James Jr.
10 Luke Kennard
14 Maxi Kleber
4 Dalton Knecht
12 Jake LaRavia
3 Nick Smith Jr.
1 Adou Thiero
2 Jarred Vanderbilt

Stats

	Min	Pts	TR	OR	DR	Ast	Los	Rec	Blk	S1	S2	S3	RF	CF
28 Rui Hachimura	36	18	2	0	2	2	1	1	1	1/2	4/7	3/6	0	1
23 LeBron James	36	27	4	1	3	6	2	1	0	0/1	9/11	3/6	0	1
5 Deandre Ayton	27	10	11	4	7	2	1	0	1	0/0	5/11	0/0	0	4
15 Austin Reaves	35	8	5	1	4	6	4	0	1	2/2	3/11	0/5	0	3
36 Marcus Smart	31	12	4	2	2	7	2	4	0	2/2	2/7	2/8	0	3
11 Jaxson Hayes	16	3	6	3	3	1	3	0	0	1/2	1/3	0/0	0	2
9 Bronny James Jr.	1	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0/0	0/0	0/0	0	0
10 Luke Kennard	28	7	5	0	5	1	2	1	0	4/4	0/1	1/3	0	1
14 Maxi Kleber	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0/0	0/0	0/0	0	0
4 Dalton Knecht	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0/0	0/1	0/0	0	0
12 Jake LaRavia	13	3	1	0	1	0	2	1	1	0/0	0/1	1/1	0	0
3 Nick Smith Jr.	1	0	1	0	1	0	0	0	0	0/0	0/0	0/0	0	0
1 Adou Thiero	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0/0	0/0	0/0	0	0
2 Jarred Vanderbilt	6	2	1	0	1	0	0	0	0	0/0	1/1	0/1	0	1