Thunder Show Lakers the Gap Between Good and Great

It was 9–2 when Lakers coach JJ Redick called his first timeout in Thursday’s prime-time showdown between Oklahoma City and Los Angeles. It was 25–9 when he signaled for his second. The Thunder led 44–21 at the end of the first quarter and 82–51 at the half. The lead was 38 when Redick pulled LeBron James midway through the third and 139–96 at the end, when Branden Carlson was on his 12th minute and many of the 18,203 at Paycom Center had ducked out to squeeze in a late-night rib eye at Mahogany.

“They beat the s--- out of us tonight,” said James.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Et tu, Austin Reaves?

“They beat the s--- out of us,” echoed Reaves. “We have got to be better.”

Yeesh. Thursday’s Prime Video–streamed showdown in the Bible Belt was heavily hyped. The Lakers, winners of 16 of their last 18 games, against the Thunder, who had ripped off 18 of their last 20. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the reigning (and presumptive) MVP vs. Luka Dončić, who was making a late-season surge to overtake him. It was Ali vs. Foreman, in high tops.

Until it wasn’t. The Lakers have had some impressive wins during this recent stretch. Beat Denver. Took a pair off of Houston. On Tuesday, Los Angeles blew the doors off Cleveland, an Eastern Conference contender. Pundits everywhere (ahem) were wondering what the Lakers’ ceiling was.

They just hit it. I know, Oklahoma City. No bulletin board material. One of 82, just a game on the schedule, blah, blah. Come into our practice gym, Mark Daigneault said, and you can’t tell if it’s October or March. Whatever. The Thunder played like they had this one circled on the calendar. In Sharpie.

“They were playing really good basketball coming in here,” said Gilgeous-Alexander. “So were we.”

Lu Dort was brilliant. He scored 14 points, all in the first quarter, when Oklahoma City opened up a 23-point lead. The Dorture Chamber—as Dort’s All-Defensive first-team defense is called—stifled Dončić, who was 3 of 10 in 26 minutes, before leaving the game in the third quarter with a hamstring injury. Dort’s physical play has come under scrutiny the last few months. This game was a reminder of what he can do when he channels it.

“He set the tone,” said Daigneault. “He really had the juice tonight defensively.”

Gilgeous-Alexander is the front-runner to repeat as MVP, or at least that’s what I’m predicting ESPN’s Tim Bontemps’s next straw poll will reveal. There are some that still deem Gilgeous-Alexander unworthy. Because he isn’t as dynamic offensively as Dončić. Or as overwhelming defensively as Victor Wembanyama. The Nikola Jokić fan club will point out Gilgeous-Alexander’s numbers don’t touch his. And who can forget the free throw police who scream whenever Gilgeous-Alexander goes to the line.

Thursday night was a reminder of what Gilgeous-Alexander is. He had eight points and four assists in the first quarter, the only period the game wasn’t a laugher. Defensively, he slowed down Dončić and Reaves. He was a team-high +35 in 30 minutes of work. And Oklahoma City’s lead was 28 before Gilgeous-Alexander attempted his first free throw.

Gilgeous-Alexander isn’t putting up eye-popping stats like Wembanyama or Jokić lately, or going on a Dončić-like scoring binge down the stretch. His superpower is consistency. He’s the most reliable 20-plus-point scorer, well, ever. He’s clutch in the fourth quarter, when he plays in them. He’s sturdy defensively. The Thunder have racked up the second-most injuries in the league this season, many to Jalen Williams, Oklahoma City’s All-NBA guard. The Thunder are 33–4 this season in games Gilgeous-Alexander plays and Williams sits, with Gilgeous-Alexander averaging 32 points on 56% shooting in them.

It’s been a forgettable season for Williams, who will finish having played less than half of it. A wrist injury derailed the start of the season, while a right hamstring sidelined him in the middle of it. But Williams is starting to round into form. He scored 18 points in a win over the Bulls last week. On Sunday, he scored 22 against the Knicks. Williams was held to 10 on Thursday, but chipped in nine rebounds, eight assists and two steals while leading a defensive effort that held James to 13 points.

“His talent and the way that he’s ascended as a player has overshadowed what is one of his most impactful skills,” said Daigneault, “which is the fact that he just brings the juice every single night competitively.”

When Williams was drafted, Thunder general manager Sam Presti told him that his high motor could be a separator for him. “I always have that in the back of my head while I’m playing,” said Williams. “It can really change the outcome of a game.”

It changed this one. The Thunder improved to 3–0 against the Lakers this season. Three times this season they have led by 30 or more at halftime. Two have been against L.A. They will meet again on Tuesday, in Los Angeles. If Dončić’s hamstring injury is as bad as it looked on Thursday, he likely won’t be playing in it.

It may not matter. The Lakers have played at a high level over the last month. On Thursday, the Thunder reminded them that there was another level above it.

More NBA From Sports Illustrated

Listen to SI’s NBA podcast, Open Floor, below or on Apple and Spotify. Watch the show on SI’s YouTube channel.