Category: Basketball

One of the things that separates good teams from great teams is depth.

Look back to the 2020 Lakers. They had 10 realistic options they could turn to in the playoffs and all had moments. They could pull in an Alex Caruso for a Game 6 to seal the series, a move that made them go small one series after leaning on JaVale McGee and Dwight Howard.

It’s a trait the great teams have. Not just depth, but reliable depth. Guys who can not only step onto the court when needed, but produce at a high level. This Thunder team has that in abundance.

Through two games, the Lakers have done a fantastic job on Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. But that has led to Ajay Mitchell, Chet Holmgren and Jared McCain all stepping up. The Thunder come at you wave after wave after wave.

Eventually, the dam bursts for good teams. The Lakers have seen second-half runs in Games 1 and 2 turn close games into blowouts. At a certain point, LA is running out of steam because they don’t have the necessary depth and when that moment comes, OKC buries a backbreaking three to cap off a big run.

In about 85% of the two games in Oklahoma City, the Lakers have played the Thunder relatively even. That 15%, though, is a gap that LA might not be able to close.

So, let’s dive into the loss. As always, grades are based on expectations for each player. A “B” grade represents the average performance for that player.

LeBron James

38 minutes, 23 points, 2 rebounds, 6 assists, 3 steals, 3 turnovers, 1 foul, 9-18 FG, 1-4 3PT, 4-4 FT, -9

This wasn’t quite the same performance he had in Game 1, but it was still great. The ball wasn’t in his hands as much, a result of Austin Reaves returning back to form. But he was still efficient and had big baskets.

His early pins on fastbreaks led to a couple of layups. He hit back-to-back baskets in the four to close the lead to five. Unfortunately, there weren’t many others in purple and gold at his level.

Grade: A-

Rui Hachimura

39 minutes, 16 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, 2 turnovers, 2 fouls, 6-10 FG, 4-7 3PT, -19

Not enough has been made about Rui has a playoff riser. With Thursday’s 4-7 shooting from range, he now has 12 straight games overall shooting at least 50% from range. He is up to 10 straight postseason games shooting at least 50% from three, dating back to the Wolves series last season.

What’s important is not just that he’s making threes, but he’s taking them. He’s in an absolute groove and is freely firing away.

Grade: A-

Deandre Ayton

27 minutes, 3 points, 10 rebounds, 2 turnovers, 3 fouls, 1-7 FG, 1-2 FT, -4

This was not a great Ayton game. It started off alright, though most of his contributions came in the form of good screen setting and things that don’t show up in the box score.

However, that only goes so far and the box-score production has to come at some point. As the game progressed, things got worse with a bad turnover in the fourth and then a poor closeout on Chet that led to free throws. He came out after that play and didn’t return for the final 6:47.

The Lakers aren’t going to have a chance to win if Ayton isn’t great.

Grade: D+

Austin Reaves

38 minutes, 31 points, 2 rebounds, 6 assists, 5 turnovers, 5 fouls, 10-16 FG, 3-6 3PT, 8-10 FT, -20

The apology should be as loud as the disrespect.

It turns out that three bad games after a month out with injury do not define a player. This is who Reaves has been. And this is who the Lakers need Reaves to be this series.

There were a couple of moments, particularly early, where Reaves was a bit out of control and either turned the ball over or forced up a bad shot. But he really found a groove late in the first quarter and was everything the Lakers needed.

He was picking apart the Thunder defense and either finishing in the mid-range or at the rim or finding open shooters.

Unfortunately, he’s back to throwing bad lobs again, but it seems like a trade-off the Lakers will take.

Grade: A

Marcus Smart

34 minutes, 14 points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 steal, 3 turnovers, 5 fouls, 4-13 FG, 1-7 3PT, 5-5 FT, +2

This was a lot of Marcus Smart. Too much, in fact.

There’s been plenty of discussion about Reaves needing to catch the moving train and get up to speed with the team. There hasn’t been as much discussion about the adjustment the team has to make to Reaves, though.

Specifically when it comes to Smart, the Lakers needed him to be a creator for himself and others against the Rockets. They could live with the bad possessions — to an extent — because they had no other option.

But now that Reaves is back, that’s not what they need out of him. He hasn’t adjusted to that, though. The result on Thursday was too many possessions where he’s trying to create something out of nothing when Austin and LeBron are on the floor.

We’re also to the point that there’s nothing more Smart can say about turnovers and taking blame. We’re seven games into this postseason and years into Smart’s career. The lazy entry passes that get stolen by the Thunder are just flat out unacceptable.

Grade: C-

Luke Kennard

26 minutes, 10 points, 1 rebound, 2 fouls, 4-5 FG, 2-3 3PT, -15

It was nice to see Kennard be more aggressive with his shot, which the Lakers need from him. If he could adopt Rui’s mindset of firing away when he has an inch of space, we might be cooking.

Grade: B

Jaxson Hayes

15 minutes, 6 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, 2 turnovers, 5 fouls, -11

We’re oscillating between Hayes being unplayable and average. Game 2, he was unplayable.

Perhaps it’s the nerves or trying too hard, but there were multiple occasions on Thursday where he was jumping around on the perimeter when Thunder players weren’t even shot faking, leading to either open lanes or open threes.

Mix in some bad turnovers and illegal screens and the Lakers had to try to finish the game going small, which absolutely did not work.

The Lakers need their centers to be better.

Grade: D

Jake LaRavia

10 minutes, 1 assist, 1 steal, 1 turnover, 2 fouls, 0-2 FG, 0-1 3PT, -14

This is probably the game that is the point of no return for LaRavia. Against Houston, there was just enough positive to warrant him playing. It was also a series that was already a rock fight and he could play that style. In fact, Game 6 was probably his best game of the postseason.

But more is needed against the Thunder and he is absolutely not stepping up. I was willing to give him some benefit of the doubt on the foul of Jaylin Williams’ three because it looked to be pretty clearly a kick out. But he then immediately followed that with a foul on Holmgren underneath the basket.

I wouldn’t be surprised if those were his final minutes of the series.

Grade: F

Adou Thiero

6 minutes, 3 rebounds, 1 turnover, 1 foul, +3

Realistically, Thiero didn’t really get enough minutes for a grade. But I did want to exclude him from the garbage time group because he actually did play meaningful minutes.

He didn’t really have an opportunity to do anything good or bad. But given the state of the rest of the bench, he should get more run in Game 3.

Grade: B

Dalton Knecht, Bronny James, Nick Smith Jr.

I wouldn’t be surprised if Bronny James got minutes in Game 3. Perhaps Nick Smith Jr. as well, though the Lakers seemed to find some solutions offensively. Still, a shake up isn’t the worst thing down 2-0 in the series.

JJ Redick

The Lakers went back to the drawing board offensively and found all the answers. They broke the 100-point barrier for the first time in five games. And they still were able to limit Shai Gilgeous-Alexander as well.

Specifically, that second quarter was perhaps the best quarter the team has played this postseason, especially given the opposition.

Again, for 85% of this series, the Lakers have more or less matched the Thunder. That this is even competitive for that much is a testament to the coaching staff. They’ve had two great gameplans.

It just seems to be becoming clearer and clearer that the team doesn’t have the horses that OKC does in this series.

Grade: A-

Thursday’s DNPs: Maxi Kleber

Thursday’s inactives: Jarred Vanderbilt, Luka Dončić

You can follow Jacob on Twitter at @JacobRude or on Bluesky at @jacobrude.bsky.social.

Oklahoma City Thunder (64-18, first in the Western Conference) vs. Los Angeles Lakers (53-29, fourth in the Western Conference)

Los Angeles; Saturday, 8:30 p.m. EDT

LINE: Thunder -8.5; over/under is 211.5

WESTERN CONFERENCE SECOND ROUND: Thunder lead series 2-0

BOTTOM LINE: The Oklahoma City Thunder visit the Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference second round with a 2-0 lead in the series. The Thunder won the last matchup 125-107 on Friday, led by 22 points from Chet Holmgren. Austin Reaves led the Lakers with 31.

The Lakers are 33-19 in conference matchups. Los Angeles averages 116.3 points and has outscored opponents by 1.7 points per game.

The Thunder have gone 41-11 against Western Conference opponents. Oklahoma City is eighth in the Western Conference with 25.8 assists per game led by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander averaging 6.6.

The Lakers average 11.8 made 3-pointers per game this season, 2.5 fewer makes per game than the Thunder allow (14.3). The Thunder are shooting 48.4% from the field, 0.1% higher than the 48.3% the Lakers' opponents have shot this season.

TOP PERFORMERS: LeBron James is averaging 20.9 points, 6.1 rebounds and 7.2 assists for the Lakers. Rui Hachimura is averaging 16.4 points over the past 10 games.

Gilgeous-Alexander is scoring 31.1 points per game with 4.3 rebounds and 6.6 assists for the Thunder. Holmgren is averaging 16.0 points and 7.9 rebounds while shooting 61.1% over the past 10 games.

LAST 10 GAMES: Lakers: 6-4, averaging 103.6 points, 40.4 rebounds, 25.3 assists, 8.9 steals and 5.3 blocks per game while shooting 48.1% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 100.5 points per game.

Thunder: 8-2, averaging 118.5 points, 42.4 rebounds, 27.4 assists, 10.2 steals and 5.2 blocks per game while shooting 49.2% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 107.8 points.

INJURIES: Lakers: Luka Doncic: out (hamstring), Jarred Vanderbilt: day to day (finger).

Thunder: Jalen Williams: out (hamstring), Thomas Sorber: out for season (knee).

___

The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.

Detroit Pistons (60-22, first in the Eastern Conference) vs. Cleveland Cavaliers (52-30, fourth in the Eastern Conference)

Cleveland; Saturday, 3 p.m. EDT

LINE: Cavaliers -4.5; over/under is 212.5

EASTERN CONFERENCE SECOND ROUND: Pistons lead series 2-0

BOTTOM LINE: The Detroit Pistons visit the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference second round with a 2-0 lead in the series. The Pistons won the last meeting 107-97 on Thursday, led by 25 points from Cade Cunningham. Donovan Mitchell led the Cavaliers with 31.

The Cavaliers are 33-19 in Eastern Conference games. Cleveland has a 2-5 record in games decided by less than 4 points.

The Pistons are 12-4 against the rest of their division. Detroit is fourth in the league scoring 18.0 fast break points per game led by Cunningham averaging 3.7.

The Cavaliers make 48.2% of their shots from the field this season, which is 3.9 percentage points higher than the Pistons have allowed to their opponents (44.3%). The Pistons average 117.8 points per game, 2.4 more than the 115.4 the Cavaliers allow to opponents.

TOP PERFORMERS: Mitchell is scoring 27.9 points per game with 4.5 rebounds and 5.7 assists for the Cavaliers. James Harden is averaging 17.6 points and 5.1 rebounds while shooting 42.3% over the past 10 games.

Cunningham is averaging 23.9 points, 5.5 rebounds and 9.9 assists for the Pistons. Tobias Harris is averaging 21.6 points over the last 10 games.

LAST 10 GAMES: Cavaliers: 5-5, averaging 111.1 points, 44.3 rebounds, 22.4 assists, 8.0 steals and 4.8 blocks per game while shooting 47.0% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 110.6 points per game.

Pistons: 7-3, averaging 106.8 points, 46.4 rebounds, 22.8 assists, 8.6 steals and 8.0 blocks per game while shooting 45.7% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 100.3 points.

INJURIES: Cavaliers: Sam Merrill: day to day (hamstring).

Pistons: Kevin Huerter: day to day (adductor).

___

The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.

Winning on the road is tough, but beating the Thunder in OKC feels impossible.

The Lakers did a lot right in their Game 2 loss. They got a much better offensive game from Austin Reaves, won the points-in-the-paint battle 52-46 and Rui Hachimura remained elite, scoring 16 points on 60% shooting.

But the Thunder outscored the Lakers 36-22 in the third quarter to turn this game from a close contest to a blowout win for OKC.

Now, JJ Redick and the Lakers find themselves down 2-0 in this series and head home still looking to play a full 48 minutes.

Perhaps the uncomfortable truth is they just don’t have the personnel to play such a perfect game.

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Losing the Shai Gilgeous-Alexander minutes

There are plenty of reasons the Lakers lost, but the main culprit was their play in the third quarter, particularly when Shai-Gilgeous Alexander was off the floor.

SGA went to the bench after earning his fourth foul at the 10:34 mark. With Reaves knocking down three subsequent free throws, LA was in front by five.

This was a golden opportunity for the Lakers to take advantage. Winning the minutes when SGA is off the floor is something Lakers head coach JJ Redick said was necessary after practice on Wednesday.

JJ Redick says the tape from Game 1 showed that the Lakers’ defense “was good with some of the Shai [Gilgeous-Alexander] coverages.”
What wasn’t good?
“We have to be better when [SGA’s] not on the floor … they were plus-nine in those minutes. We’ve got to at least be even” pic.twitter.com/uQrGoqoycR

— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) May 6, 2026

Apparently, the purple and gold didn’t get the memo.

Chet Holmgren began feasting inside. Then Jared McCain scored five straight points, and after Jaylin Williams knocked down a three and was fouled on the shot, the crowd erupted and LA’s lead had evaporated.

The Thunder continued to pile on, going on a 32-14 run while SGA watched from the bench. This was the turning point of the game as the Lakers never led again.

LA has done a great job containing SGA. He scored 18 points in Game 1 and only scored 22 on Thursday.

However, OKC is so dominant because of its tremendous team. The Lakers have allowed McCain to torch them in both games. Chet has been great as well, and Ajay Mitchell once again had another strong performance. If LA doesn’t find a way to contain them, this will be a sweep.

Welcome back, Austin Reaves

One of the silver linings was the play of Reaves. He struggled massively in Game 1, but had a bounce back performance in Game 2. He continued to attack the paint, but finished strong at the rim this game. He went 10-16 from the field, shot 50% from deep and 80% from the charity stripe.

Add in his six assists, and Reaves put LA in a position to remain competitive in this contest.

Austin Reaves saw an opportunity. LeBron James took it 🤝 pic.twitter.com/osHeGLdi2K

— NBA on Prime (@NBAonPrime) May 8, 2026

Now, if he can start as well as he finished and limit his turnovers, LA will have a great chance of winning one of their upcoming home games.

The noise surrounding Reaves was overblown in Game 1.

He is a proven player, and one game doesn’t take away from all he has done over the years as a Laker. Still, recency bias is a thing, and it was good for him and the team that Reaves was able to be an impactful player for LA.

With Luka Dončić out, they’ll need all the help they can get in the backcourt to generate some points.

Who can be a responsible adult?

Before the game, Redick said he’d play a nine-man rotation. He barely did with only eight players logging at least 10 minutes. And Jake LaRavia barely cracked the 10-minute mark.

Redick looked for answers playing Adou Thiero in the first half, but while the minutes weren’t bad, they were unimpactful. And with LaRavia playing so poorly, there don’t seem to be many bench players who can play at this level.

Redick has to try something, though.

Can Redick find some responsible adults? Some players who can be depended on to be positive and at least eat up a handful of minutes?

It might be time to play Nick Smith Jr. and see if he can give the Lakers an offensive spark. Maxi Kleber can play some five and give Deandre Ayton a break. Even Bronny James can slot in for a moment to start the second, as he did against the Rockets.

So far, the Lakers haven’t found a winning recipe, so Redick has to throw the kitchen sink at OKC and see if he can find something that gets him a win.

You can follow Edwin on Twitter at @ECreates88 or on Bluesky at @ecreates88.bsky.social.

LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers battled the Oklahoma City Thunder but were unable to even the NBA second-round series on Thursday, May 7.

Instead, the Lakers fall to 0-2 in the series and move one step closer to potentially being swept by the defending champions.

The Lakers continue to miss point guard Luka Doncic, and his absence is apparent after the Lakers turned the ball over 20 times, trying to move the ball around and generate some offense. The Thunder were able to produce 26 points off the Lakers' turnovers.

Austin Reaves was responsible for five, while LeBron James and Marcus Smart each had three. Reaves did carry the offense, shooting 10-of-16 from the field for 31 points.

While the turnovers will likely be a topic of discussion internally, the Lakers remained vocal throughout and after the game about the fouls called by the officiating crew.

Coach JJ Redick was asked about the officials after the game and noted that James has only had five free-throw attempts over the first two games of the series.

“LeBron (receives) the worst whistle of any star player I’ve ever seen,” Redick told reporters after the game. “I've been with him for two years now, the smaller guys, because they can be theatrical, tend to get more fouls and guys built like LeBron, it’s hard for them.”

Austin Reaves and the Lakers just had a meeting with the refs after the game to share their frustration with them. pic.twitter.com/exHIVkrese

— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) May 8, 2026

Redick also said the Thunder have "guys that foul on every possession," which he noted all good defenses do. Still, he was left frustrated by the lack of calls.

"They're hard enough to play. They're hard enough to play. You gotta be able to just call it if they foul, and they do foul," Redick said.

Reaves and James were seen postgame among a crowd near midcourt that consisted of other members of the Lakers and the officiating crew.

Reaves, in particular, was vocal with his displeasure.

"I felt like I was respectful to all of them all night," Reaves told reporters. "... And when we were doing the whole tip ball and they were switching spots, I wanted to get on the other side because they had a guy on the other side, was just trying to keep an advantage. And he turned around and yelled in my face. I just thought it was disrespectful."

James himself had very little to say about the referees after the game.

Q: JJ Redick was irate about the officials, how was that a factor in the runs OKC put together?
LeBron James: “We’re down 2-0.”
Q: Redick said you get the worst whistle of any superstar he’s seen, why do you think that is?
LeBron: “I don’t know” pic.twitter.com/QyPwxUd9Td

— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) May 8, 2026

The Lakers remained aggressive during the game, matching the pace of the Thunder as the teams exchanged respective scoring runs before Los Angeles took a one-point lead into the locker room at halftime.

OKC managed to pull away in the second half after a 32-14 run during the third quarter, all while the Thunder’s star player, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, was not on the floor.

The Lakers have the opportunity to overcome all that happened in Game 2, when the series moves to Los Angeles for the next two games.

The Thunder remain in a good place as the franchise has not lost a best-of-7 series when leading 2-0. Oklahoma City also improved to 6-0 during this postseason, having swept the Phoenix Suns in the first round.

When is Game 3 between Lakers and Thunder?

The Lakers will host the Thunder on Saturday, May 9. The game will air on ESPN at 5:30 p.m. PT (8:30 p.m. ET).

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: JJ Redick, Lakers bemoan refs after Game 2 loss to OKC Thunder

OKLAHOMA CITY — The Lakers, one again, were so close. 

But they kept getting in their own way in their 125-107 Game 2 loss to the Thunder at Paycom Center.

The Lakers had too many self-inflicted wounds, like their 21 turnovers for 26 OKC points.

Or the 17 second-chance points they allowed the Thunder to score, wasting the strong moments of halfcourt defense they had.

“We played well in spurts,” LeBron James said. “We had some really good minutes, obviously through three [quarters]. They were able to take a five-point lead in the third quarter and they made a run. Obviously, they kept scoring and they’re really good at exploiting matchups and things of that nature. But we had a good game plan. We tried to execute it as close to 48 minutes as possible, but it just didn’t get done.”

Even with Austin Reaves bouncing back from a purtid Game 1 performance with a playoff career-high 31 points to go with 6 assists, Game 2 was defined by the Lakers’ mistakes. 

And the Thunder capitalized off them. 

“They do a good job of capitalizing off turnovers,” Luke Kennard said. “Obviously, that’s going to be a big thing for us. We knew that going into it, their physicality. We gotta stay poised, under control when they go on those runs. I think we’ve done a pretty good job overall, but it’s gonna take a full, full 48 minutes.”

James had 23 points and 6 assists.

Rui Hachimura (16 points) and Kennard (10 points) combined for 26 points, but the Lakers wasted a strong shooting night (50% from the field, 37.9% on 3s).

Chet Holmgren led the Thunder with 22 points, 9 rebounds, 4 steals, 3 assists and 2 blocked shots.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had 22 points. Ajay Mitchell recorded 20 points and 6 assists, while Jared McCain had 18 points off the bench.

What it means

The Lakers are now trailing 2-0 in the best-of-seven second round series. 

Under the 2-2-1-1-1 home/away pattern, the team with homecourt advantage has a 221-19 all-time record in playoff series after taking a 2-0 lead since the NBA moved to a 16-team playoff in 1984. 

Turning point 

When Gilgeous-Alexander picked up his fourth personal and a Flagrant Foul penalty one foul at the 10:34 mark of the third quarter.

Reaves made a pair of flagrant free throws, and a technical free throw after Alex Caruso was assessed a technical from the bench, to put the Lakers up 66-61 as Gilgeous-Alexander subbed out and went to the bench for the remainder of the quarter.

Usually, this would be a positive moment for an opponent when the reigning MVP has to watch nearly an entire quarter from the bench.  

That wasn’t the case for the Lakers, who were outscored 32-14 in the final 10 ½ minutes of the third.

Jared McCain (8 points), Holmgren (8) and Mitchell (7) combined for 23 points in the third, with the trio outscoring the Lakers, who had 22 points in the third.

“I talked about it a little bit [on Wednesday], them being plus-nine in the non-SGA minutes and then in the second half, we just got blitzed, 32-14, seven turnovers,” coach JJ Redick said. “They shot 14 free throws during that stretch. So we got to look at lineups, look at everything, try to figure out how we can be better in those minutes.”

MVP: Ajay Mitchell

The second-year guard continues his breakout season with another strong playoff performance.

He was the biggest reason why the Thunder won the non-Gilgeous-Alexander minutes in the second, scoring 11 points of his scoring total in the quarter.

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Stat of the game: 12

That’s how many points the Thunder outscored the Lakers by when Gilgeous-Alexander wasn’t on the floor before Redick subbed out his main rotation players with 2:14 left, with his team down 120-103.

The Lakers also struggled in the non-Gilgeous-Alexander minutes in Game 1, being outscored on Tuesday when Gilgeous-Alexander was on the bench.

Up next

Game 3 of Lakers-Thunder will tip off at 5:30 p.m. on Saturday at Crypto.com Arena.

With an early exit from the playoffs, it looks like there’s trouble in Celtics land.

Jaylen Brown is “deeply frustrated” with the Boston Celtics organization, per @Tmac_213

“I think his frustration lies deeply in the organization that we don’t have the details to… There’s just been a lot of stuff that I’ve been hearing, just going on with the Boston… pic.twitter.com/W9EgpUdFvP

— Fullcourtpass (@Fullcourtpass) May 6, 2026

There’s also reports out there that there might be something possible between the Milwaukee Bucks and the Boston Celtics.

Brian Windhorst says there’s potential for a Giannis-Jaylen Brown trade:

“Of course it makes sense for Milwaukee. Of course the Bucks are monitoring this very closely and would be getting ready to call Boston.”

(via @GetUpESPN, h/t @CelticsUnite18) pic.twitter.com/QaPHuZ0k6A

— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) May 6, 2026

It’s a trade that makes sense for both sides but if the Bucks decide they’re not interested in Brown maybe the Jazz could give them an offer that makes sense.

Here’s a trade that could make sense for both sides. If the Utah Jazz don’t jump in the NBA lottery, this trade makes some sense.

Lauri Markkanen and Jaylen Brown’s contracts match perfectly. If Utah ends up with the #6 or #7 pick, they could move that to Boston for Brown along with Markkanen and that might be enough to get it done. For Boston, they get a player that, even though he’s not the level of Brown, is still all-star caliber and they get a top ten pick.

For Utah, they get an upgrade and a player that fits better at the 3 and who’s also a huge upgrade defensively. It also fits all their pieces together much better. Markkanen and Jaren Jackson Jr. are both at their best at the 4. This allows more cohesion with their team and a better defensive identity. A front court of Jaylen Brown, Jaren Jackson Jr., and Walker Kessler could be incredible defensively. On top of that, this would give Jaylen Brown the opportunity to be the lead dog of the Jazz. He wouldn’t be considered the Robing to another Batman and that could be appealing to him considering the frustrations he’s had in Boston.

It’s an interesting idea and we’ll see if it’s possible. What do you think? Is something like this a move the Jazz should consider?

The effort was being provided by all the Lakers at a high level and it was being led by LeBron James and Austin Reaves.

But the Lakers are facing the defending NBA champion Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference semifinals and it is a chore that remains too heavy for Los Angeles.

Even with Reaves recovering to score 31 points on 10-for-16 shooting and handing out six assists and James collecting 23 points and six assists, the Lakers still lost Game 2 of the best-of-seven series, 125-107, Thursday night at Paycom Center.

The Lakers trail the series 2-0, with Game 3 back in Los Angeles at Crypto.com Arena on Saturday night.

The odds have now increased against the Lakers winning this series. In NBA history, only 34 teams have recovered from a 2-0 hole to win a best-of-seven series, while 431 teams have gone on to win the series.

The Lakers even did a very good job again on Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, throwing double teams at him to hold the All-Star guard to 22 points.

Chet Holmgren had another strong game with 22 points, nine rebounds, four steals and two blocks and Ajay Mitchell had 20 points for the Thunder.

The Lakers, who had a one-point lead at halftime, went down 13 points at the end of the third quarter, but a James three-pointer pulled them to within 95-89, forcing the Thunder to call a timeout with 8:57 left.

The Lakers even got to within five points in the fourth quarter, but a 10-2 run by the Thunder put L.A. in a 13-point hole with 5:53 left, this time forcing Lakers coach JJ Redick to call a timeout so his players could collect themselves.

The Lakers could not.

A big play was when Reaves took a charge against Gilgeous-Alexander with 10:34 left in the third quarter, which was his fourth foul. Gilgeous-Alexander was called for a flagrant foul on the play and Alex Caruso was called for a technical foul.

Reaves shot three free throws, making them all for a 66-61 Lakers lead.

Read more:Frustrated Luka Doncic breaks his silence; doctors forecasted he'd miss Thunder series

Gilgeous-Alexander then took a seat on the bench.

Yet the Lakers were unable to maintain their quality of play against a Thunder team that just kept charging ahead even with Gilgeous-Alexander on the bench.

The Thunder finished the third on an 18-8 run to open a 93-80 lead.

One of the many keys for the Lakers was getting a productive Reaves. It was just his fourth game back after being out a month because of a Grade 2 left hamstring strain, and it showed. Reaves missed 13 of his 16 shots in Game 1 and all five of his three-pointers, and scored just eight points.

Reaves didn’t make any excuses for his poor play.

“He’s got a great sense of self-accountability to where, you know, he’s his own worst critic and he’s going to hold himself to a standard of how he wants to play,” Lakers coach JJ Redick said. “Had a great conversation with him yesterday and today. He’ll be good to go.”

Reaves scored 13 points in the first half while distributing the ball.

He missed his first two shots, but finished the first half five-for-nine shooting.

Along with James scoring 10 points and handing out five assists, Rui Hachimura scoring 11 and Marcus Smart adding eight while doing his part to slow down Gilgeous-Alexander, the Lakers opened a 58-57 lead at the half.

The Lakers sent defenders at Gilgeous-Alexander often, double-teaming the league most valuable player and forcing the other Thunder players to shoot the basketball in the first half.

Gilgeous-Alexander only took nine shots in the first half and made four.

The Thunder shot just 25% from three-point range in the first 24 minutes.

Note: Lakers forward Jarred Vanderbilt was downgraded out for Game 2 because of a dislocated right pinkie finger.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Chet Holmgren and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander each scored 22 points and the Oklahoma City Thunder beat the Los Angeles Lakers 125-107 on Thursday night to take a 2-0 lead in the Western Conference semifinal series.

Ajay Mitchell had 20 points and Jaren McCain added 18 for the defending champion Thunder, who improved to 6-0 in the playoffs. The Lakers will host Game 3 on Saturday.

The Lakers again were without scoring champion Luka Doncic, who is out indefinitely with a strained left hamstring. They also were missing forward Jarred Vanderbilt, the reserve forward who dislocated the pinkie finger on his right hand during the second quarter of Game 1. The Lakers also had three players finish with five fouls, limiting their aggressiveness late in the game.

Lakers guard Austin Reaves, who struggled with his shot in Game 1, scored 31 points on 10-for-16 shooting in Game 2. LeBron James, coming off a 27-point effort in Game 1, followed that up with 23.

With the Lakers up 63-61 early in the third quarter, Gilgeous-Alexander got tied up with Reaves and was called for his fourth foul. Upon review, it was upgraded to a flagrant 1 for Gilgeous-Alexander’s follow through. Oklahoma City’s Alex Caruso was called for a technical foul as the situation was being sorted out.

Gilgeous-Alexander left the game with the Lakers up 65-61, but the Thunder rallied and took control without him. On a fast break, Holmgren found a trailing Jaylin Williams, who hit a 3-pointer and was fouled. His free throw put the Thunder up 85-74.

The Thunder outscored the Lakers 32-15 while Gilgeous-Alexander was out in the third quarter to take a 93-80 lead into the fourth. The Lakers cut Oklahoma City’s lead to five in the fourth quarter before the Thunder pulled away again.

PISTONS 107, CAVALIERS 97

DETROIT (AP) — Cade Cunningham had 25 points and 10 assists, Tobias Harris scored 21 points and Detroit beat Cleveland to take a 2-0 lead in their second-round series.

Game 3 is Saturday in Cleveland, where the Cavs were 4-0 in the first round against Toronto.

The top-seeded Pistons have won five straight games since Orlando put them on the brink of elimination in the first round.

Donovan Mitchell scored 31 points and Jarrett Allen had 22 points and seven rebounds, bouncing back from a poor performance in Game 1 for the fourth-seeded Cavs.

James Harden, though, missed 10 of 13 shots and was limited to 10 points. Harden had four turnovers, including one with 33 seconds left when the Cavs trailed by just six.

Cleveland’s Max Strus scored just three points after he had 19 in the series opener.

Detroit’s Duncan Robinson had 17 points, making 5 of 9 3-pointers, and Daniss Jenkins came off the bench to score 14 points, his third straight game in double figures.

PHILADELPHIA — The Knicks and the 76ers have major health questions as the Eastern Conference semifinal series shifts to Xfinity Mobile Arena on Friday night. 

The two centers, Joel Embiid and Mitchell Robinson, missed Game 2.

Robinson (illness) is probable to return and Embiid (sprained right ankle, right hip soreness) is questionable.

Knicks guard Josh Hart is also questionable due to a sprained left thumb. 

Hart suffered the injury late in the third quarter but was able to finish the game and play most of the final quarter. 

Of the three, Embiid is likely the biggest question mark.

On Tuesday, he woke up sore, 76ers coach Nick Nurse said, and the team determined after shootaround that day he wouldn’t be able to play.

Andre Drummond started in Embiid’s place. 

The oft-injured Embiid missed the first three games of the playoffs after undergoing an emergency appendectomy late in the regular season.

In Game 1 against the Knicks, he struggled on the defensive end, and shot just 3-of-11 from the field while scoring 14 points in a blowout defeat. 

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One key to the Knicks’ postseason run has been their ability to force turnovers.

Of the eight teams remaining, only the Thunder are forcing more in the playoffs.

The opposition is committing 15.6 per game against the Knicks.

That number is up from 14.4 during the regular season. 

It has been a major strength so far against the 76ers, who are averaging 18.5 turnovers in the two games.

Tyrese Maxey has turned it over 10 times, six coming in Game 2.

The Knicks have turned Philadelphia’s 37 turnovers into 48 points.

Former Knick and NBA veteran P.J. Tucker announced his retirement on Thursday, hanging up his sneakers after a professional basketball career that spanned parts of two decades. 

Tucker, 41, played three games for the Knicks during his final season in the NBA last year, and his career included time with the Raptors, Suns, Rockets, Bucks, Heat, 76ers and Clippers. 

“[Twenty] years being my job but 40 plus years of not being able to fathom doing anything other than it. So here’s to retiring from the NBA… because I will NEVER stop ballin,” he wrote on Instagram Thursday alongside a carousel of photos from across his career in the league.

The pinnacle of Tucker’s NBA career came in 2021 as part of the Bucks’ championship-winning team.

He was dealt from the Rockets to the Buckets before the trade deadline and appeared in 20 regular season games and another 23 in the playoffs. 

Tucker averaged 4.3 points in 29.6 minutes per game during the postseason. 

He was originally selected by the Raptors with the 35th overall pick in the 2006 NBA Draft right out of high school, but failed to earn much playing time and eventually found himself in the G League. 

The Raptors waived him in late March of his rookie season, and Tucker failed to find another NBA team to play for — kicking off a five-year run of playing overseas in Israel, Ukraine, Greece, Italy and Germany.

Tucker found his way back to the NBA in 2012 with the Suns. 

Over the course of his career, Tucker played in 886 NBA games and averaged 6.6 points, 5.4 rebounds, 1.1 steals and 0.3 blocks per game.

The Lakers once again saw a tight game turn into a double-digit loss on Thursday. LA held a lead midway through the third but again saw the Thunder pull away in the fourth to win by double digits, 125-107.

The purple and gold had one of its best quarters of the postseason in the second, outscoring OKC 35-30 to lead by one at the half. They held the lead through the early stages of the second half before the Thunder took over and never looked back.

Nineteen LA turnovers turned into 26 OKC points while the Thunder also had 17 second-chance points and 48 points off the bench.

LA missed their first two shot attempts from behind the arc to start. OKC went up by as much as seven until Rui Hachimura converted on a midrange jumper to get the Lakers on the board.

Isaiah Hartenstein was off to a hot start for the Thunder with six points. 

Hachimura was leading Los Angeles with five points, while LeBron was close behind with four. The Lakers surged on a 7-0 scoring run to tie the game. OKC had a quick response with their own 11-0 run. 

Los Angeles was now shooting 33% from the field.

Jaxson Hayes and LeBron stopped the bleeding with back-to-back shots in the paint. Hachimura then splashed a triple that cut the deficit to four at the end of the first. 

Hachimura improved his all-time playoff best 3-point % after a 2 for 3 1st Q, including a buzzer-beater that capped the second 7-0 run of the period for LA.

OKC leads 27-23. https://t.co/AvkGKdq4EE

— Mike Trudell (@LakersReporter) May 8, 2026

Jared McCain converted on a midrange jumper to open the second period. Ajay Mitchell provided a massive spark for the Thunder as he was up to nine points. Marcus Smart and Austin Reaves both knocked down much-needed 3-pointers for LA.

At the 7:50 mark, Oklahoma City was up by five. 

Mitchell poured in four more points before he was subbed out. Reaves converted on his second three-point play in this half. He was the first player on the Lakers in double figures with 13, a much better showing and effort than Game 1. 

Smart put LA up by one with four minutes left in the half. 

Los Angeles continued playing well, with Luke Kennard and Hachimura both draining threes. With 2:13 now left in the half, the Lakers were nursing a tiny lead. Both teams spent the last minute of the half exchanging the lead, with the purple and gold heading into the locker room up one. 

LA trailed 27-16 with 1:26 left in the 1st Q, but rallied with a 7-0 run to close the period, and outscored the Thunder 35-30 in the 2nd Q to take a 58-57 lead into halftime.

Reaves (13), Hachimura (11) and LeBron (10) are in double figures, with LeBron adding 5 assists.

— Mike Trudell (@LakersReporter) May 8, 2026

Chet Holmgren opened the second half with a jumper in the paint for OKC. Hachimura then continued his ridiculous shooting with another triple. Reaves scored on a midrange jumper before being fouled on the other end by SGA. The play was upgraded to a flagrant one along with Alex Caruso receiving a technical, so Reaves made three free throws in a row to give LA a five-point lead.

SGA almost dislocated Austin Reaves elbow pic.twitter.com/5VGdHYbOrj

— Italo Santana (@BulletClubIta) May 8, 2026

Lu Dort drained a 3-pointer to cut into the lead. 

Reaves responded with a triple on the other end. The Thunder then scored four of the easiest points to make it a one-point OKC deficit. Cason Wallace converted on two free throws to put Oklahoma up by one.

OKC was up by seven at the 4:04 mark. 

Everything was going in the way of the defending champs as they were on an extended 23-5 scoring run to give themselves a double-digit lead. The Thunder took full control, leading by 13 heading into the fourth. 

93-80 Thunder are back in front after three quarters of play. They obliterated the Lakers while SGA sat on the bench. Big plays from Jared McCain and Jaylin Williams have put the LA down by double figures entering the final frame.

— Edwin Garcia (@ECreates88) May 8, 2026

After a pair of turnovers, Hachimura opened LA’s scoring with his signature midrange jumper. Los Angeles cut the deficit to six with a 7-0 run, with LeBron scoring five points. 

The Thunder were forced to call a timeout. 

Out of the break, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored on a layup. The Lakers were keeping close, but their turnover count was now at 19. With seven minutes left, it was an eight-point deficit for Los Angeles. 

At the 5:53 mark, the Thunder were up by double figures after an 8-0 run.

The lead continued to grow as LA completely ran out of steam and didn’t have enough offense to keep it close. The Lakers waved the white flag with 2:14 left and down 17. 

Key Player Stats

LeBron finished with 23 points and six assists. Reaves ended with 31 points and six assists. Hachimura notched 16 points, shooting an impressive 6-10 from the field and 4-7 from three. 

Smart logged 14 points with five assists and four rebounds. Kennard had 10 points, Hayes scored six points to go with his three rebounds and two assists. 

Game 3 will be on Saturday against the Oklahoma City Thunder at 5:30 PM PT.

You can follow Karin on Twitter at @KarinAbcarians.

One could argue that Sunday marks one of the biggest days the Jazz have seen in a long time, easily the biggest since the Jazz were in a very similar situation a year ago. While the 2026 NBA Draft has recently lost a lot of its depth, it remains incredibly strong at the top, and anyone lucky enough to select in the top four will be adding a potential franchise-changing talent. Last season the Jazz had the worst record in the association and held a 52.1% chance at a top four pick and a 14% chance at the number one pick. As we all know, the worst-case scenario came as the Jazz fell to the fifth pick before selecting Ace Bailey. This season the Jazz finished tied for the fourth-worst record with the Sacramento Kings, requiring a coin flip to decide who gets the tiebreaker. Luckily the Jazz won that coin flip, but what does that mean for the odds at each pick?

Catch the NBA Draft Lottery at 1:00pm MT Sunday on ABC to see where we land 👀#TakeNotepic.twitter.com/bsttGzTl3n

— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) May 4, 2026

The Jazz have a 45.2% chance at a top four pick and an 11.5% chance at the number one pick, but it goes a little deeper than that. The worst-case scenario last year was falling to five. This year the worst-case scenario would be falling to eight, but that is very unlikely. Compared to last year, there was about a 48% chance we’d be selecting fifth. The odds for each pick are listed below.

• First-11.5%
• Second-11.4%
• Third-11.2%
• Fourth-11%
• Fifth-7.5%
• Sixth-27.1%
• Seventh-17.9%
• Eighth-2.4%

How do those odds make you feel? Hopeful? Nervous? Scared? Excited? The Jazz have NEVER moved up in the lottery, but there’s always a first time for everything. While the sixth and seventh positions are the two highest probabilities by quite a large margin, there’s still a 55% chance we won’t be picking seventh or eighth! So here’s to hoping Sunday is an amazing day for the Jazz and their future.

Who do you hope the Jazz end up with in the draft? 👀💜#graphicdesign#graphicdesigner#sports#nba#basketball#TakeNotepic.twitter.com/bmMOIzp6bc

— The Colonel (@colby_colonel) May 6, 2026

Everyone wear your lucky shirt on Sunday, and if that’s the same shirt you wore last year… get a new lucky shirt. If you have any superstitions, listen to them. Do anything you can to give the Jazz that edge on Sunday! The NBA Draft Lottery is this Sunday at 1:00 p.m. Mountain Time on ABC.

After Cam Thomas got dumped by both Brooklyn and Milwaukee this season, former teammate Michael Porter Jr. said it was more about attitude than ability. 

“There’s a lot more to the NBA and sticking around than just [scoring],” Porter said in a revelation that always seemed to escape Thomas. “For Cam, I think it was a mixture of he was frustrated with a lot of things, and also his personality … he doesn’t really socialize. He’ll come to the gym sometimes and he’ll say like two words all day, all practice. He doesn’t really talk to anybody. 

“I don’t think he does it in a way where he’s trying to be a bad teammate; I just think that’s him. But when it comes to a team being willing to pay you and come off that money and you’re a No. 1 option, it comes with so much more. I don’t know if he was willing to break out of his personality and be talkative and try to be a leader and bring guys together. I think that’s kind of what happened here in Brooklyn.” 

Porter was speaking on the “Road Trippin’ Show” podcast about a broad range of topics, including about him being a No. 1 option on a team. 

It’s a role that Thomas viewed himself capable of filling, and the young guard did average team-highs of 22.5 points and 24.0 points in the past two seasons for the Nets. But after rejecting multiple contracts from the Nets last summer — a two-year, $30 million deal with a team option, or a one-year, $9.5 million pact — he ultimately settled for the $5.98 million qualifying offer. 

In the end, Thomas managed just 15.6 points in an injury-marred campaign and got waived by Brooklyn. He got picked up by Milwaukee, but cut loose there as well. While he flashed the ability to get buckets, his shortcomings in terms of defense, playmaking, and — ultimately — self-awareness see him now unemployed. 

“I know he was frustrated about the contract the year before, and the fact that Brooklyn didn’t really pay him how he wanted,” Porter said. “He’s thinking talent-wise, he’s thinking as good as Austin Reaves, he’s as good as Jalen Green, he’s as good as this guy or that guy, and they’re getting paid $100 million contracts. So I understand that part. But I knew when he left Brooklyn, I’m like, man, over there in Milwaukee he better change a couple of these things or else it’s going to be tough for him. 

“And when he first got there, they were raving about him because he had a few good games. Doc Rivers was complimenting him and everything. And then I’m sure he had a bad game and kind of went back into his shell a little bit. It can come off like he has an attitude, but really that’s just him. And then I think from there it was downhill. But when it comes to being a basketball player and a talent, he’s up there with the best of them.” 

Porter added he may take as many shots as Thomas, “but the time the ball was in my hands was a fraction.” He expressed confidence he can be a top scorer on a contender, but says the Nets adding a backcourt playmaker — via the lottery, trade or signing — will let them take a step forward. 

“A No. 1 option on a championship-caliber team? I’m not about to sit here and say that I don’t think I can take on a big responsibility on a championship team, because I do, but I definitely would need some help with me,” Porter said. “If I got another guy over here who really is able to create and draw some attention, and now I’m getting two or three wide-open 3s a game, I think it would really help us.”