Kendrick Perkins Drops a Wild Analogy on Lakers Chances Against the Thunder

The Los Angeles Lakers got past the Houston Rockets in six games in the first round and are now headed to the Western Conference Semifinals against the Oklahoma City Thunder. Game 1 tips off tonight, and the outside world has already made up its mind about how this is going to go.

Kendrick Perkins appeared on ESPN's First Take and was asked about Los Angeles' chances in this series.

"I'm not going to even address this topic because Laker chances of beating the Thunder. I got a better chance of having breakfast with Beyoncé and Oprah in the morning than they do of having a chance at winning this series," Perkins said.

Kendrick Perkins on the Lakers chances of beating the Thunder 💀

“I got a better chance of having breakfast with Oprah and Beyoncé in the morning than they do at having a chance of winning this series”

(Via @FirstTake) https://t.co/DfqkXz6iRN pic.twitter.com/cjDSuHzHTQ
— NBA Courtside (@NBA__Courtside) May 5, 2026

It is a wild take, but the regular-season record gives him something to stand on. Oklahoma City went 4-0 against Los Angeles this year, and none of those four games were close. The Lakers were already shorthanded in most of them, and they are heading into this series even more banged up.

Can the Lakers Compete Against the Thunder Without Luka Doncic?

Luka Doncic, who averaged 33.5 points, 8.3 assists, and 7.7 rebounds per game this season, is still out with a left hamstring strain and has not started running yet. Without him, the offense runs through LeBron James and Austin Reaves, and neither of them is fully healthy either.

Reaves only just returned from an oblique strain in the first round. He needs time to get his rhythm back, and unfortunately, time is not something the Lakers have against a team like Oklahoma City. LeBron has been carrying the load at 41 years old, averaging 23.2 points, 8.3 rebounds and 7.2 assists against Houston, but this is a steeper hill.

What makes it even harder is that the Thunder already know exactly what is coming. After sweeping the Suns in the first round, Gilgeous-Alexander made it clear he had been doing his homework, watching the Lakers-Rockets series throughout and studying both teams to get a read on their strengths and weaknesses. Oklahoma City had faced Los Angeles four times this season already, so there are no surprises on either end.

The Lakers are short-handed, facing the defending champions, and walking into a place where the other team has had them scouted for weeks.

Perkins went for laughs with his analogy, but the math behind it is pretty serious. How Los Angeles responds tonight will say a lot about what this team is actually made of.

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