E Da Old Tymer

The Los Angeles Lakers (8-4) competed for about five minutes and then seemingly forgot how to play basketball as they were blown out by the San Antonio Spurs (12-1) to the tune of 121-92.  Besides the first five minutes of the game, this contest wasn’t even close.  The potent backcourt of Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves fizzled, with Doncic scoring 19 points on a sub-par 7-20 shooting, including 1-7 from the three point line.  Reaves stat line was less impressive, as he put up just 13 points on 33 percent shooting from the field and going 0-5 from long range.   Overall, the Lakers struggled offensively against the physical and relentless defensive pressure that the Thunder are known for and looked more like their G-League affiliate.

The Thunder, on the other hand, executed their game plan to perfection.  Relying once again on their all-star guard and last year’s most valuable player, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, they controlled the action on the court.  SGA made another case for an MVP run tonight, giving the Lakers defense to task for 30 points and 9 assists.  Ajay Mitchell stepped up in his starting role, scoring 14 points and contributing on defense with three steals for the night.  Forward Chet Holmgren pestered the Lakers most of the night, altering and blocking shots as well as scoring 11 points on 4-7 shooting.  Fortunately for the Lakers, Holmgren found himself in foul trouble and was limited to only 20 minutes of floor time. 

The Lakers started the game competitively and had a lead early on.  However, the Thunder would start applying pressure on the Lakers defensively, forcing LA to turn the ball over 20 times.  The Lakers offense couldn’t get it together as all five starters combined for just 60 points, overshadowed by the 72 points from the Thunder’s starters.  The Thunder bench would also prove to be a nightmare, with Isaiah Joe leading the Thunder reserves with 21 points and five assists.  Alex Caruso, a former Laker player and fan favorite, along with Ousmane Dieng, chipped in 10 points.  Dalton Knecht led the Lakers’ bench effort with 16 points in his 19 minutes of action while forward Jarred Vanderbilt was the next highest scorer for the bench players with only 6 points. 

The Thunder’s 29-point victory really doesn’t fully capture their dominance.  They outscored the Lakers 30-18 in the first quarter and had already dropped 70 points on the purple and gold by halftime.  Things would just get worse for Los Angeles as OKC would pour it on in the third quarter, taking a commanding 39 point lead.  Despite sporadic runs, the Lakers could not match the Thunder’s physicality and intensity.  Free throws also spelled doom for Los Angeles, as the Thunder converted 91 percent of their 23 shots from the charity stripe compared to the Lakers 67 percent. 

At the end of the day, you can’t expect to win games when you give your opponent 18 free points off of 20 turnovers, shoot just over 40 percent from the field and miss almost half of your free throws. 

The Lakers will have one day to get over this embarrassment as they are set to travel to New Orleans for an NBA Cup game on Friday against the Pelicans.