A hyper-anticipated matchup between surging MVP candidates Luka Dončić and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was dead on arrival on Thursday. OKC went up 25-9, led by 23 after the first quarter, and that was all she wrote.
LA’s kryptonite all year had been teams that have physical defenders who play with a consistent level of ball pressure and the Thunder just happen to hold a stockpile of it. The No. 1 defense in basketball showed its teeth early and often.
Even without their best defender, Alex Caruso, they
forced the purple and gold into eight first-quarter turnovers. Those mistakes led to 14 points the other way, as OKC raced out in transition. A mix of rushed passes and succumbing to defensive pressure hurt LA once again.
To put the first quarter in perspective, the Lakers offense attempted just 15 shots in the period while the Thunder made 17 of their 27 field goals.
It started as early as the third possession of the game. Watch the action below as the Lakers set up to run one of their patented side pick-and-rolls. Austin Reaves catches the pass from Luka with Jalen Williams instantly up into his body.
LeBron James comes over to set the screen and initiate the play. Williams not only chases over the screen, staying attached to Reaves, but then takes away the heavily telegraphed pocket pass.
Against other teams, that pass may even get through. OKC, though, is a different animal. They collect the third most steals per game and lead the league in points off turnovers, as the one above leads to a Lu Dort three in transition, one of his four made in the quarter.
On the very next possession, the Lakers go to their Horns setup. Notice below that Dort, the defensive tone center, never allows any separation from Luka. He quickly notices the flat angle pass and runs right through it for the steal and breakaway dunk.
LA attempted to feed their starting center on multiple occasions to no avail. A handful of last-minute dump-offs to Deandre Ayton fell out of his hands or fumbled due to the haste caused by the defense.
Luka tries a wrap-around pass in the clip below after coming off an Ayton screen where he’s trapped in the paint.
Increased defensive pressure is intended to rush and rattle the opponent. The Lakers have been completely out of their element in all three matchups and have trailed by over 30 points at halftime in both games in Oklahoma City. The Thunder cruised to a 45-point victory while LA failed to reach 100 points for the first time since February.
While the Lakers were likely never touching OKC’s ceiling this year, the run in March raised questions about just how high the mountain is. The Thunder quickly ended any hopes of a climb as they now sit comfortably at the top, firmly holding the Lakers’ kryptonite.
You can follow Raj on X at @RajChipalu
