It’s All Over for the Lakers Against Thunder
Tonight, your Los Angeles Lakers took on the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 3 of this series back at Crypto.com Arena. The Lakers entered this game down 0-2 after dropping the first two away games in OKC.
Teams that have gone down 0-3 have a combined 0-161. The Lakers absolutely had to win tonight to stay alive in a series they have almost no chance of winning anyway.
The officiating of this series has been a largely discussed topic throughout the first two games. The boiling point was reached after game two when the entire Lakers team gathered around the officiating crew to voice their frustrations.
While yes, there were a fair share of bad calls in the first half, tonight wasn’t nearly as egregious as the first two games were. Instead, tonight was ultimately just a display of how much more talented overall and deep OKC’s roster is currently.
Despite leading at halftime like the Lakers did in Game 2 as well, the Thunder were just too much and ultimately took the 3-0 lead tonight.
The second straight game the Lakers have gotten blown out after leading at half… pic.twitter.com/vkZTaT3oV9
— Lakers All Day Everyday (@LADEig) May 10, 2026
Lakers’ Depth Put in Check by Thunder’s
Tonight, the depth of OKC reared its ugly head once more, and in dramatic fashion. Every single member of the Thunder’s starting lineup finished the game in double figures. Cason Wallace and Isaiah Joe pitched 16 and 12 points off the bench as well.
It wasn’t just having more bodies necessarily to throw on the court; they also had better bodies on the court.
Bad Nights for LeBron James and Austin Reaves
The two Lakers stars needed to show up and show out tonight against OKC. Sadly, they did not.
LeBron James and Austin Reaves shot a combined 37% from the field tonight and also chipped in 8 total turnovers. For LeBron, this is a shock, but considering his age and what he’s done through the playoffs thus far, it’s understandable.
Reaves has the excuse of recently returning from injury, but his case is far more damning. He had ample time to heal and was medically cleared to return, but he should have been better. This makes two straight years of subpar playoff performances from a player who will soon become extension-eligible.
Current Talent Gap
The starting unit for OKC shot at a 57% rate from the field. On the flipside, the Lakers’ starting group shot 43% from the field. The Thunder have a mind-numbing amount of shot makers all over the floor, and on any given night, any one of them could step up.
The first two games, the others for OKC outside of the usual suspects were Ajay Mitchell and Jared McCain. Tonight, though Ajay Mitchell continued to shine, Cason Wallace and Isaiah Joe were the massive outside contributors.
Series over, What’s Next?
Tonight, the Lakers suffered the 2nd worse loss in franchise history since the team moved to LA. While you can certainly admire the toughness the team has shown throughout the first and second rounds without Luka Doncic, changes must be made this summer.
Players like Jake LaRavia, Dalton Knecht, Maxi Kleber, and Jarred Vanderbilt need to be moved and upgraded. Despite just returning from injury, maybe even Austin Reaves could be on the move after his second straight year of questionable playoff performances.
Despite Dončić being injured for the playoffs, you must find a way to build this summer, tailoring to Luka. That means more athletic 3&D wings, as well as possible swaps in the big man room.
The Lakers will have one more chance to play for pride on Monday night. They play OKC in Game 4 at 7:30 PST on Prime Video. This will be the final case the players have to make for themselves before the summer.
Hopefully, we can steal one win off the backs of some stellar performances.
