For the second consecutive game, the Oklahoma City Thunder found themselves trailing at halftime. However, the Los Angeles Lakers once again failed to seize the opportunity, ultimately losing home-court advantage with a 131-108 defeat. Following the game, Austin Reaves, who has been under scrutiny for his emotional outburst toward officials and subpar defensive performance, offered nothing but praise for his opponents.
“They’re a connected group. Their pieces fit basically perfect,” Reaves told the media. “It’s tough to beat them. They’ve got a good coaching staff over that does a good job managing the game the way his team needs. They’ve got really good players.” What made Oklahoma City’s night even more emphatic was holding Reaves to just 17 points on a poor 6-of-18 shooting performance. In fact, the 27-year-old guard went scoreless in the third quarter, raising further questions about his effectiveness in the playoffs.
Reaves described the Thunder as “perfect” for multiple reasons. Offensively, Oklahoma City has found a rhythm where even when Shai Gilgeous-Alexander doesn’t score 30 points, the team still wins. On this night, the reigning MVP posted 23 points and eight assists, while sophomore guard Ajay Mitchell took over Game 3 with 24 points, 10 assists, and three steals. The bench again provided solid production, contributing 40 points, led by Cason Wallace’s 16. Defensively, the Thunder shifted gears once more.
The Thunder boast an abundance of wing defenders, size, and length. Coach Mark Daigneault implemented a defensive scheme that kept his players connected. Oklahoma City out-rebounded the Lakers 43-37, recorded 12 steals, and forced JJ Redick’s squad into 17 turnovers, converting those into 30 points. It is performances like these that led Austin Reaves to label them as “perfect.”
With this victory, the Thunder became the first team since LeBron James’ 2017 Cavaliers to begin the playoffs with a 7-0 record after winning an NBA championship. As Oklahoma City celebrates, a damaging stat emerged for the Lakers: they were outscored by 25 points in the second half, marking the second-worst home playoff half for the franchise since moving to Los Angeles.
JJ Redick concurred with Reaves’ assessment. There were bright spots for the Lakers, as they held a two-point halftime lead even without Luka Doncic, the NBA’s scoring leader. Their defensive schemes also limited SGA, who missed nine of his first 11 shots, with fewer double-teams than in the first two games of the series. Still, it wasn’t enough to contain the MVP, who finished with his highest-scoring game of the series. LeBron James contributed 19 points, eight assists, and six rebounds.
Ultimately, both Reaves and James struggled from the field, combining for just 12-of-32 shooting. That reality underscores the harsh truth for the Lakers.