Magic Johnson Points to Lakers’ Biggest Problem vs. Thunder

After pulling off an impressive first-round playoff series upset against the Houston Rockets, the Los Angeles Lakers will now go on the road to take on the defending NBA champion Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 1 and Game 2 at the Paycom Center to get their second-round series underway.

As expected, the Lakers have been labeled massive underdogs heading into this series, with the Thunder heavily favored to advance to the Western Conference Finals once again.

Lakers Legend Magic Johnson Reveals Key to Beating the Thunder

With the Lakers having an incredibly tough challenge ahead, especially without Luka Doncic, who has been ruled out for Game 1, Magic Johnson has chimed in on social media about what his former team needs to do to top Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and company in this seven-game series.

My Lakers have an uphill battle going against the reigning World Champions OKC and SGA, who in my mind was the MVP of the First Round of the Playoffs! To beat OKC, we have to find a way to not turn the ball over as much as we did against the Rockets and play great on both ends of…
— Earvin Magic Johnson (@MagicJohnson) May 4, 2026

“My Lakers have an uphill battle going against the reigning World Champions OKC and SGA, who in my mind was the MVP of the First Round of the Playoffs! To beat OKC, we have to find a way to not turn the ball over as much as we did against the Rockets and play great on both ends of the floor - so who’s going to step up and provide scoring to help LeBron and Austin? One thing we all know is OKC can score the basketball, so the Lakers are going to have to play some of their best basketball!”

Johnson touches on a point that Lakers head coach JJ Redick has stressed to his team heading into round two. Ball security is paramount for Los Angeles to have a chance of upsetting Oklahoma City, as they’ll need to play near-perfect basketball.

Redick also believes he needs to do a better job of coaching against arguably the best all-around team in the NBA. The second-year head coach said he needs to be “more diligent,” while speaking to the media after practice earlier this week, via ESPN's Dave McMenamin.

“I've got to be more diligent than I normally am. I like my timeouts, I like going into the fourth quarter with four timeouts, I like having two in the last 30 seconds. I don't think you have the luxury [vs. OKC]” - JJ Redick on needing to call timeouts to dull Thunder runs pic.twitter.com/M6DsWFFUHk
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) May 4, 2026

“I've got to be more diligent than I normally am,” Redick said. “I like my timeouts, I like going into the fourth quarter with four timeouts, I like having two in the last 30 seconds. I don't think you have the luxury [vs. OKC]”

As if the Thunder were a tough enough opponent, Oklahoma City has had time to rest between the first and second rounds, as they swept Devin Booker and the Phoenix Suns in the first round. Mark Daigneault's squad was the only team in the first round to pull off that feat, beating the Suns in four straight games while making it look easy.

However, the Lakers aren’t the only team shorthanded ahead of Game 1, as the Thunder will be without star Jaylen Williams, who is also dealing with a Grade 2 hamstring strain.

As seen with Doncic’s lengthy recovery from his hamstring injury, Williams could be sidelined for a considerable time and potentially miss the entire second round against the Lakers.

As for Doncic, the wait continues as there’s still no concrete timetable for his return. He may be able to get back on the floor in this series, but it remains to be seen when that will happen, especially with shorter breaks between games in the second round.

Sign up to our free newsletter and follow us on YouTube, Facebook, X/Twitter and Instagram for the latest news.

Add us as a preferred source on Google