Lakers drop Game 3 to Thunder; now one loss from elimination - BERITAJA

The Lakers are 1 playoff conclusion from their play being complete and from the speech turning to LeBron James’ future.

They are successful a spread nary squad has climbed retired of successful the history of the NBA, the Lakers’ 131-108 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder successful Game 3 putting L.A. down 3-0 successful the best-of-seven Western Conference semifinal series.

James and his teammates gave a gallant effort Saturday nighttime astatine Crypto.com Arena, but the defending champion proved to beryllium much than the Lakers could handle.

James vanished his nighttime pinch 19 points connected seven-for-19 shooting, 8 assists and six rebounds. Rui Hachimura had 21 points and Austin Reaves vanished pinch 17 points and 9 assists.

Even so, the Lakers person now mislaid each 3 games by double digits.

And the Lakers are afloat alert that nary NBA squad has successfully travel backmost from a 3-0 shortage successful the playoffs, pinch those teams holding a 161-0 record. Only 4 teams person forced a Game 7 aft trailing 3-0, each of which yet mislaid the series, including the Boston Celtics successful 2023.

Lakers guardant LeBron James shows vexation arsenic Thunder halfway Chet Holmgren slam dunks during Game 3 connected Saturday night.

(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

Game 4 is Monday night, erstwhile the Lakers will effort to stave disconnected elimination and a nighttime that will find really the conversations spell pinch James if they lose.

James has been often asked this play about retirement, but he has not fixed immoderate denotation of what the early holds for him.

He’s 41 years aged and playing successful an NBA-record 23rd season.

James is successful the last twelvemonth of his statement that pays him $52 million, making him a free supplier this offseason. He could retire, subordinate different squad aliases possibly return to the Lakers adjacent season.

That will beryllium the speech if the Lakers can’t triumph Game 4.

They will spot the aforesaid Thunder squad that had 7 players people successful double figures, led by Ajay Mitchell’s 24 points and 10 assists and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s 23 points and 9 assists.

The Lakers went down 13 successful the 3rd 4th and had to play catchup the remainder of the way. They ne'er did, going down by 112-94 pinch 6 minutes and 12 seconds left, forcing Lakers coach JJ Redick to telephone a timeout.

The shortage conscionable kept growing, topping retired astatine 27 points successful the fourth.

They were outscored 33-20 successful the 3rd quarter. The Lakers didn’t return attraction of the hoops successful the third, turning it complete six times, and they didn’t play bully defense, allowing the Thunder to sprout 59.1% from the section and 55.6 percent from three-point range,

The Lakers did not springiness an inch to the Thunder successful the first half, moreover erstwhile they fell down by 10 points.

They conscionable kept grinding until they led 59-57 astatine halftime.

Hachimura had 16 points successful the first half, continuing his basking three-point shooting by making each 4 of his threes. Luke Kennard came disconnected the chair to springiness the Lakers 13 points, shooting 5 for six from the section and 3 for 4 from three-point range.

The Lakers kept the unit defense connected Gilgeous-Alexander. Though he had 14 points successful the first half, he changeable only four-for-14 from the section and 1 for 5 from three-point range.

The Lakers changeable 55% from three-point scope successful the first half, which went a agelong measurement successful helping them.

The Lakers mislaid the first 2 games by identical margins of 18 points and each nonaccomplishment was magnified because Gilgeous-Alexander was kept nether wraps for the about portion by L.A.’s defense.

When Gilgeous-Alexander picked up his 4th foul pinch 10:34 near successful the 3rd 4th of Game 2 and went to the bench, the Thunder turned a five-point lead into a 13-point advantage astatine the extremity of the quarter.

So, erstwhile he wasn’t connected the court, the Lakers grounded to return advantage.

“Well, you know, again, I’ll repetition what I said aft the game: we’ve sewage to beryllium amended successful the non-Shai minutes,” Lakers coach JJ Redick said.

Role players for illustration Mitchell and Jared McCain wounded the Lakers successful the 2nd game. Chet Holmgren besides was difficult to woody with.

“Mitchell and McCain person wounded america successful those non-Shai minutes, and past Chet [Holmgren] has wounded america the full game,” Redick said. “I deliberation you’ve sewage to beryllium consenting to unrecorded pinch something. Shai playing one-on-one, frankincense acold successful the series, we haven’t been consenting to unrecorded with, truthful you’re going to beryllium successful rotation. That could lead to smalls connected bigs astatine the hole, and the violative rebounding from Chet has really wounded us.”