Lakers vs. Thunder: 3 Ways Los Angeles Can Beat Oklahoma City

The Los Angeles Lakers have an incredibly tough task ahead against the Oklahoma City Thunder in the second round of the NBA playoffs, but there's a path to a series upset for LeBron James and company.

Aaron Wiggins and LeBron James | Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

Game 1 of the second-round playoff series between the Los Angeles Lakers and Oklahoma City Thunder will get underway on Tuesday, with LeBron James and company being heavy underdogs heading into the Paycom Center against arguably the best team in the NBA.

The Thunder enter this series as the only team to sweep in the first round. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and his squad made easy work of Devin Booker and the Phoenix Suns in the first round, winning four straight games to keep their title defense hopes alive.

As for the Lakers, JJ Redick’s squad is coming off an inspired performance against the favored Houston Rockets, as they were able to take them down in six games, putting together one of the biggest upsets in the first round.

Although the Lakers shocked everyone with an impressive series win over the Rockets, the team is facing an uphill battle in round two against a team that has had its number all year, losing by an average of 29 points in four regular-season meetings against Oklahoma City.

Here are three keys to the Lakers pulling off the second-round series upset against the defending NBA champions.

No. 1: Limit Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Without Fouling

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Marcus Smart and Rui Hachimura | Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

Much like Lakers superstar Luka Doncic, who has been ruled out for Game 1 while still recovering from the Grade 2 hamstring strain he suffered against the Thunder on April 2, Gilgeous-Alexander is a master at getting to the free-throw line.

The reigning NBA MVP attempted nine free throws a game during the regular season, shooting an efficient 87.9 percent from the charity stripe. Living at the free-throw line can easily swing a game, even if some accuse the superstar guard of foul baiting, so it is crucial to limit his impact in that area.

Veteran guard Marcus Smart will likely be tasked with guarding Gilgeous-Alexander, and there’s no better defensive-minded player on the team suited to take on that tall task. 

“He does a really good job of getting to the free-throw line, and he’s mastered it,” Smart said of guarding Gilgeous-Alexander. “That’s gonna be a challenge for me. … It’s tough, but it can be done. It’s just gonna take a lot of effort from everybody, and we gotta stay together.”

No. 2: Ball Security: 'Take Care of the Ball'

JJ Redick | Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

Oklahoma City is one of the best defensive teams in the NBA, if not the best. It’ll be no easy task to play at a high level offensively against a team that thrives on defense, with players like Gilgeous-Alexander, Cason Wallace, Luguentz Dort and Alex Caruso getting after it from start to finish on that end of the basketball floor.

After Lakers practice earlier this week, head coach JJ Redick made it clear that ball security is the most important thing for the Lakers in this series against the Thunder.

“Take care of the ball,” Redick said. “The reality of their defense is that whatever moments we felt Houston pressuring, like the maximum amount of pressure they put on us, that's OKC's baseline. That's their floor.”

No. 3: Role Players Must Step Up Offensively

Luke Kennard and Rui Hachimura | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

With Austin Reaves back in the fold and James still holding Father Time at bay, the Lakers will lean heavily on their two stars to lead the charge offensively, but it will need to be a collective effort from the entire team to get the best of an elite Thunder squad.

There’s a chance that Doncic returns at some point in this second-round series, but the Lakers can’t count on the Slovenian superstar to save them. Los Angeles will likely turn to Rui Hachimura, Luke Kennard and Deandre Ayton to pick up the slack.

All three of these veterans left their impact in the first round, with Kennard showing off his ability to be a playmaker, Hachimura shooting the lights out from beyond the arc at a historic level and Ayton proving his doubters wrong with some impressive performances while going head-to-head against two-time All-Star Alperen Sengun.

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Much like in round one, the Lakers need to embrace the underdog label and play as a tight-knit unit, as there is no margin for error in this series. They’ll need to be solid and on a string on both ends of the court to pull off what could be a historic playoff series upset.

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