Lakers hurting for Luka Doncic as offensive slump continues in Game 1 against Thunder - BERITAJA

OKLAHOMA CITY — The reply to the Lakers’ slumping discourtesy sat hunched successful a chair successful the area of the visitors’ locker room astatine Paycom Center. Luka Doncic, dressed successful a achromatic T-shirt and pants, scrolled connected his phone, cornered disconnected by a wall of reporters who each faced LeBron James looking for reasons down a postseason barren spell.

“We person a feline that averages 37 [points] a crippled [out],” James said. “Thirty-three-and-a-half. … There’s the rumor correct there.”

Since Doncic suffered a Grade 2 near hamstring strain successful this arena connected April 2, the Lakers utilized heroic performances from James, abruptly basking shooting and stout defense to insubstantial complete the absence of their starring scorer. But Tuesday’s 108-90 Game 1 loss against the league-leading Oklahoma City Thunder showed conscionable really overmuch the Lakers miss Doncic.

On a nighttime they constricted Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to a season-low 18 points and a season-high 7 turnovers, the Lakers still ne'er sewage person than 11 points successful the 4th quarter. The reigning about valuable subordinate scored less than 20 points successful a crippled for the first clip since May 24, 2025.

The Lakers slugged their measurement done a protect conflict against the Houston Rockets successful the first round, but their discourtesy started lagging midway done the series. They’ve scored less than 100 points successful 4 consecutive games, 3 of them losses. The squad that changeable a league-leading 50.2% during the regular play has dipped to 46.5%. Their 99.6 points per crippled successful the playoffs is the lowest for immoderate squad still playing successful the convention semifinals.

“When you play against awesome defense, you person to person guys that could pull aggregate defenders connected the level astatine each times,” said James, who led the Lakers pinch 27 points connected 12-for-17 shooting. “I consciousness for illustration we had awesome shots. We sewage immoderate awesome shots tonight, we missed them.”

The Lakers changeable 10 for 30 from three-point range. In the first round, the Lakers changeable amended than 40% from 3 successful each 4 of their wins compared to nary amended than 25.9% successful their 2 losses.

The Thunder allowed the seventh-most three-pointers per crippled during the regular season. Hoping to utilization the weakness, the Lakers sewage up 30 three-pointers, a comparative betterment from their first-round bid mean of 25.5 per game.

But guardant Rui Hachimura, who changeable 3 for six from three, said the squad could spend to sprout moreover more.

Luke Kennard, who burst into the postseason pinch 50 mixed points successful Games 1 and 2 against the Houston Rockets, changeable only 1 for 3 from three. Lakers coach JJ Redick lamented that the NBA’s champion three-point shooter passed up immoderate bully shots.

The Lakers struggled to make three-pointers successful the aftermath of injuries to Doncic and Austin Reaves. Reaves’ return hasn’t afloat jump-started the discourtesy arsenic the defender regains his hit aft a near oblique strain that sidelined him for 4 weeks.

Reaves was 0 for 5 from 3 successful his 3rd crippled back. He is two-for-17 shooting from region successful the playoffs and had conscionable 8 points connected three-for-16 shooting Tuesday.

Injured Lakers prima Luka Doncic greets teammate Dalton Knecht during the 2nd half of Game 1 connected Tuesday nighttime successful Oklahoma City.

(Kyle Phillips / Associated Press)

“I sewage to get my spots aggregate times and conscionable missed a mates of easy shots,” Reaves said. “But for the about part, you sewage to limit the turnovers. They unit the shot really well, conscionable sewage to springiness america an opportunity to get a changeable connected extremity each possession.”

The Lakers committed 18 turnovers that led to 20 Oklahoma City points, including 15 successful the 2nd half. Redick identified turnovers arsenic the Lakers’ apical privilege against the about disruptive defense successful the league, particularly aft the Lakers averaged 17.7 turnovers per crippled during the first information of the playoffs.

The Lakers miss Doncic’s 33.5 points a game, but against specified an fierce defense, they besides ache for his shot handling that could easiness the unit connected Reaves (four turnovers), Smart (two) and James (two).

“We decided we’re conscionable going to beryllium capable pinch what we have,” Hachimura said. “But I deliberation those kinds of worldly [Doncic does] — the playmaking, particularly against a squad for illustration these guys, they unit the shot — Luka, pinch his size and his shot handling, everything, he could person been a bully playmaker for sure.”

Doncic has accrued immoderate of his on-court activity precocious by incorporating activity into his shooting, but had not progressed to unrecorded interaction by the clip the bid began. He posted a photograph of himself lifting weights connected his Instagram communicative connected Monday, but Redick didn’t springiness immoderate updates connected the prima guard’s status.

In the locker room aft Tuesday’s game, teammates sat pinch their feet submerged successful buckets of crystal and crystal packs wrapped about their joints. In his area betwixt the lockers for James and Reaves, Doncic turned to the broadside arsenic reporters passed by.