Without Luka Doncic, Thunder series is a lose-lose for Lakers - BERITAJA

I swear, if Luka Doncic was playing, this second-round bid against the Oklahoma City Thunder would beryllium going differently.

The Lakers wouldn’t beryllium losing …

… 2nd halves by truthful much.

But if his hamstring allowed their violative motor to drive, the discourtesy mightiness not beryllium humming. But the Lakers could about apt support it running.

They mightiness not beryllium keeping pace, but pinch the league’s starring scorer contributing, the spread wouldn’t beryllium a twelvemonth wide by each game’s end.

The Lakers really miss Doncic. Duh.

But it’s not only because, without him, they’re stuck reliving a recurring nightmare; successful each 3 games, the Lakers person played Oklahoma City reliable successful the first half, including taking the lead into halftime successful Games 2 and 3, only for it to beryllium yanked away.

It’s besides because they’re besides losing information points connected the scoreboard going into a pivotal offseason.

This full Western Conference semifinal bid against these defending champions has been a lose-lose proposition for the Lakers, who are now down 3-0 and staring into the elimination abyss successful Game 4 connected Monday.

But propulsion successful the 33.5 points per crippled Doncic averaged this season, and the Lakers don’t get outscored by a mixed 54 points aft halftime.

Calculate for Doncic’s profession 30.9 points per playoff game, and let’s presume their high-water people would surely eclipse Saturday’s tally successful their 131-108 Game 3 loss astatine Crypto.com Arena.

For immoderate that’s worth.

Which is small compared to what other the Lakers miss pinch Doncic connected the bench, nursing the Grade 2 hamstring strain he suffered connected April 2 successful Oklahoma City.

Lakers guardant LeBron James, sliding backward crossed the baseline, looks for a foul telephone connected a missed layup during Game 3 against the Thunder.

(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

For the Lakers, this end-of-the-road bid is about valuable arsenic an information play for adjacent season. It’s a barometer reading: You are here. The Thunder are there.

The extremity now is to build a squad about Doncic that could conceivably support gait pinch Oklahoma City, and truthful they’re evaluating who will thief do that if they travel on for the thrust adjacent year.

But the Lakers are doing these playoff measurements without Doncic connected the court. They’re test-driving the incorrect car toward vacation.

Doncic could expect a postcard successful the mail: Wish you were there.

So does he, of course.

“It’s very frustrating,” Doncic said betwixt Games 1 and 2, opinionated pinch his hands successful his pockets, pained to study that he wasn’t adjacent to returning, 5 weeks into his eight-week return-to-work timeline.

“I don’t deliberation group understand really frustrating it is. All I wanna do is play basketball, particularly this time. It’s the champion clip to play basketball. It’s very frustrating seeing what my squad is doing. I’m very proud of them. It’s been very tough, to, conscionable to beryllium and watch them play.”

He sewage to spot the Lakers upset the Houston Rockets successful a six-game, first-round bid without him and, for 4 games, Austin Reaves — who is averaging 18.7 points and shooting 40% from the level and 25% from three-point scope this series, having go a higher privilege of the Thunder’s beingness defense without having to woody pinch Doncic.

On Saturday, Doncic had to watch different lead — and pinch it, different opportunity to bargain a crippled — vanish arsenic if by a sadistic magic trick. As clip wore down, Doncic sat connected the chair adjacent to Reaves, staring blankly, hands folded successful his lap, for illustration truthful galore Lakers fans astatine the arena.

The Lakers’ latest deflating nonaccomplishment could person utilized Doncic’s energy,his showmanship, his fire. He’s among the league-leaders successful that, too.

“Look, yeah, erstwhile you person the league’s starring scorer retired location – if he was – it decidedly changes the move of a team,” said defender Luke Kennard, who scored 13 of his series-high 18 points successful the first half Saturday.

“Obviously, we miss him. And we cognize he’s moving his butt disconnected correct now [to return to play] … but yeah, I mean, he would decidedly alteration it for us. But correct now, he’s not.”

Kennard is right, of course. Things would beryllium different if Doncic was retired location dealing.

Not that different.

But the Lakers astatine slightest wouldn’t beryllium moving retired of state truthful acold from getting location each game, and they’d besides person a amended thought of really overmuch farther they person to go.