{"id":3090,"date":"2026-05-10T04:03:19","date_gmt":"2026-05-10T04:03:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=3090"},"modified":"2026-05-10T04:03:19","modified_gmt":"2026-05-10T04:03:19","slug":"lakers-on-brink-of-elimination-after-game-3-loss-to-thunder","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=3090","title":{"rendered":"Lakers on brink of elimination after Game\u00a03 loss to Thunder"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

LOS ANGELES \u2014 What the Lakers have dreaded in each of their games against the Oklahoma City Thunder had yet to arrive.<\/p>\n

Read more Santa Margarita baseball is prepared for the CIF-SS playoffs<\/a><\/p>\n

It\u2019s the blitz, the all-out, blink-and-you-miss-it scoring runs that Lakers coach JJ Redick has warned can build at a moment\u2019s notice against the Western Conference\u2019s top-seeded squad.<\/p>\n

That moment came as the second half began in Game 3 on Saturday night, a 131-108 Thunder win that pushed the Lakers to the brink of elimination. Game 4 of the best-of-seven series is Monday night at Crypto.com Arena, when the Lakers will try to avoid being swept into the offseason by the reigning NBA champs.<\/p>\n

The Thunder opened the third quarter on a 21-6 run, turning the Lakers\u2019 return to Los Angeles into a rehash of the first two games of the series in Oklahoma. By the time it was over, they had been outscored by 25 points in the second half \u2013 the most a Lakers team has ever been outscored by in the second half of a home playoff game since the franchise moved to L.A. in 1960.<\/p>\n

The Lakers were the tortoise by the game\u2019s final buzzer, clearly gassed after trying to halt the revolving door of Oklahoma City bench options. And the Thunder were more Energizer Bunny than hare, weathering another solid but hardly spectacular outing from star guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (23 points on 7-for-20 shooting) by scoring 30 points off of 17 Lakers turnovers while getting playoff career highs of 24 points and 10 assists (and zero turnovers) from second-year guard Ajay Mitchell.<\/p>\n

Rui Hachimura paced the Lakers with 21 points (going 5 for 8 from 3-point range), while LeBron James added 19 points, eight assists and six rebounds. Austin Reaves took a step back from his playoff-career-high 31 points in Game 2, struggling from the field (5-for-13 shooting) on his way to 17 points.<\/p>\n

As the final buzzer sounded, James sat stoically at the end of the bench with his arms crossed close to his chest. Center Deandre Ayton picked at his nails. Another defeat and the same bitter taste of Thunder second-half dominance.<\/p>\n

One-hundred-sixty-one teams have faced a 3-0 deficit in an NBA playoff series. Only four have even forced a Game 7, including the 2023 Boston Celtics which included Marcus Smart as a starting guard. But none of those teams have overcome what is clearly a monumental hill to climb.<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

The Lakers will try to avoid being the all-too-likely 162nd.<\/p>\n

Despite now facing the extremes of having to win four straight against the Thunder, the Lakers\u2019 will in Game 3, entering the game on close-to life support, was undeniable.<\/p>\n

Read more Santa Margarita boys, girls sweep CIF-SS Division 1 swimming titles again<\/a><\/p>\n

Reaves, who missed his first five shots on Saturday, led a second-quarter charge to give the Lakers a halftime advantage for the second straight game. Down by as much as 10 points in the first quarter, the Lakers knotted the score at 44 with 5:33 remaining in the second quarter when James and Hachimura made consecutive 3-pointers \u2013 of 11 in the first half alone on 55% shooting.<\/p>\n

Reaves, who recorded eight of his nine assists during the first half while he tried to cement an offensive rhythm, outhustled Thunder forward Jaylin Williams for a rebound before forcing contact and lifting a circus shot over his head toward the rim. Reaves\u2019 shot went in and the officials whistled Williams for a personal foul, allowing the Lakers guard to tie the score at 47.<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

The Lakers built their lead to five points in the second quarter, but they needed a second-chance Deandre Ayton dunk to secure a two-point lead (59-57) at halftime.<\/p>\n

Redick said he was going to have to switch up rotations and lineups during Game 3 to limit the Thunder when Gilgeous-Alexander was off the court \u2013 and to reduce Chet Holmgren\u2019s efficiency. On Saturday, that included removing Jake LaRavia from the rotation entirely as rookie forward Adou Thiero became the Lakers\u2019 third player off the bench and veteran big man Maxi Kleber moved into the rotation as the ninth option.<\/p>\n

Thiero (eight rebounds in 13 minutes) sparked a Lakers run, grabbing a pair of offensive rebounds for second-chance looks as the Lakers crept back within five points after Smart converted a second-chance layup of his own. But Thunder reserve guard Isaiah Joe, who had been relatively quiet after torching the Lakers from long range during the regular season (12 for 17 from 3-point range in their final two matchups), made consecutive 3-pointers to give the Thunder a 90-79 cushion entering the fourth quarter.<\/p>\n

Forward Jarred Vanderbilt, who the Lakers upgraded to available before the game after he sat out Game 2 with a full right-finger dislocation he suffered in Game 1, did not play. Guard Luke Kennard had his best shooting performance since the first round, finishing with 18 points on 7-for-10 shooting (4 for 6 from behind the arc) in 29 minutes off the bench.<\/p>\n

Holmgren finished with 18 points and nine rebounds for the Thunder, who shot 56% from the field. Reserve guard Cason Wallace added 16 points on 4-for-6 shooting from deep.<\/p>\n

Read more Mira Costa boys volleyball overwhelms Huntington Beach in Division 1 semifinals<\/a><\/p>\n

More to come on this story.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Lakers lead at halftime for the second straight game, but Oklahoma City outscores them by 25 points in the second half for a 131-108 win and a 3-0 lead in the second-round playoff series.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3089,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[19,2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3090","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-facts","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\nLakers on brink of elimination after Game\u00a03 loss to Thunder - Silicon Valley Moving Post<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=3090\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Lakers on brink of elimination after Game\u00a03 loss to Thunder - 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