OKC Thunder's Defense Drained by Lakers' Star Power

A 14-point loss to the No. 2 Houston Rockets on Friday night snapped the Oklahoma City Thunder's 11-game winning streak and brought uncommon questions to the table. After all, almost no teams had outplayed Oklahoma City to that degree, considering it had only lost by double-digits three previous times all season.

Two days later, the No. 3 Los Angeles Lakers came into Paycom Center and obliterated the Thunder's top defense 126-99 with their three-headed monster and hot shooting.

Luka Doncic, who had not played against the Thunder since becoming a Laker on Feb. 1's shocking blockbuster, earned the headlines with 30 points on 11-for-20 shooting and five first-half 3-pointers. He exploited Oklahoma City's switches, draining step-back threes over Isaiah Hartenstein and Chet Holmgren, and converted five of six paint attempts — including a high-arcing and-one scoop shot during the third quarter.

Doncic added seven rebounds, two steals and six assists — none more exquisite than a behind-the-head pass to a corner-sitting Gabe Vincent, who drained one of seven Los Angeles first-quarter triples.

Thunder All-Star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who led Oklahoma City in points (26), assists (nine) and blocks (one), called Doncic a "really smart, talented basketball player."

"He'll pick you apart if you let him," Gilgeous-Alexander said. "It didn't feel like a different guy. It felt like the same Luka Doncic."

On 3-pointers, the Lakers shot 7-for-9 in the first quarter and 8-for-13 in the second quarter. They received three or more makes from four players, with Austin Reaves joining Doncic in the double-digit points club by halftime. Reaves finished the night with 20 points on 15 shots, including four triples, three assists, two rebounds, a steal and a block. He thrived in pick-and-roll situations, rising for clean looks as Thunder defenders went under screens.

Los Angeles led 78-56 after two quarters, with its most favorable box score difference being eight more 3-point makes on four more attempts. However, Gilgeous-Alexander attributed the Lakers' shot quality to their early success, saying that for him, "it's not about makes and misses."

"Are they getting the shots they want, or are we making them take the shots that we want them to take?" Gilgeous-Alexander said. "It's the same thing offensively — it's not am I making shots, it's am I making shots that are sustainable for us to win tonight, and over a long period of time."

LeBron James, playing in his 22nd NBA season, joined the party with 19 points on 9-for-16 shooting, seven assists, three rebounds and a steal. He drained a second-quarter triple from the parking lot and made five mid-range jumpers throughout the night. James also intercepted a cross-court pass from Aaron Wiggins for an uncontested dunk right after missing a fadeaway attempt.

The Lakers' starters outscored the Thunder starters 87-69. Los Angeles also won the bench scoring, 39-30.

"It felt like it was a mixture of energy, the focus on the game plan and what we're trying to get done, imposing our will defensively," Shai Gilgeous-Alexander said. "They got whatever they wanted. ... Defensively, we did not get the job done from start to finish. And that's never a recipe to win."

Gilgeous-Alexander said that with Oklahoma City's seeding wrapped up, the challenge is making sure his team stays focused and continues to play with a sense of urgency. He said the Thunder has gotten "our butts whooped" because it has not done so during the last two games.

"We didn't do anything to deserve a win tonight," Gilgeous-Alexander said. "They're a really good basketball team. When you don't do the right things and you're playing a really good team, that's what it looks like."

The Thunder plays a home rematch against the Lakers tomorrow at 7 p.m. CST.