Austin Reaves described the Los Angeles Lakers’ 121-92 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder as “bad” following Wednesday’s matchup at Paycom Center. The guard pinpointed the second quarter as the turning point when the Thunder went on a decisive run.
Reaves admitted that both he and the team struggled with execution. “I didn’t play very well. We as a team didn’t play very well… if you don’t play well against a team like that, you’re not going to give yourself a chance to win,” he said.
The Lakers were overwhelmed early, falling behind 30-18 after the first quarter and unable to score for nearly eight minutes to start the second. Oklahoma City extended the lead to 70-38 by halftime, effectively putting the game out of reach.
Despite the loss, Reaves highlighted the Thunder as a benchmark for success. “You can watch what they do and the chemistry they have and take a lot of positives from that… it’s a good example of how to be successful,” he explained.
Reaves also addressed the defensive struggles that contributed to the wide margin. “If you have a game plan, the other team’s going to try to disrupt it. Tonight, they had us a little confused, but if we did what we were supposed to do, we could have kept them from getting off to an early start,” he noted.
The Lakers shot just 40.3% overall, with Reaves contributing 13 points on 4-of-12 shooting. Luka Doncic added 19 points, struggling against the Thunder’s ball pressure, while Shai Gilgeous-Alexander dominated with 30 points and nine assists in just three quarters.
Reaves emphasized that the team is still developing chemistry. “We’re still a fairly new team to one another… there’s a lot of basketball to play and a lot of room for growth,” he said. The Lakers will look to rebound in their next game against the New Orleans Pelicans on Friday.
He also underlined the importance of maintaining focus and improving fundamentals. “We have to be clicking on all cylinders, locked into every little detail. When you don’t play well, you’re not going to beat a team like that,” Reaves added.
