The details were different, but the story of Saturday’s Game 3 between the Lakers and Thunder played out similarly to the previous two matchups in Oklahoma City.
The Lakers were competitive early, even leading at halftime just as they did in Game 2 on Thursday.
But the results were as they had been before, with the Lakers once again running out of steam against the Thunder and a 131-108 loss, their worst loss in Saturday’s playoff series in Los Angeles, that left them one loss away from being eliminated from the postseason.
The Thunder outscored the Lakers 74-49 in the second half.
Although they dished out 17 assists, LeBron James (19 points, 8 assists and 6 rebounds) and Austin Reeves (17 points, 9 rebounds and 3 rebounds) both struggled.
Reeves (5) and James (3) combined for 8 of the Lakers’ 17 turnovers.
They didn’t lead enough during the game, as the Lakers got 39 points from Rui Hachimura (21 points on 7-of-14 shooting) and Luke Kennard (18 points on 7-10 shooting).
The Thunder scored 30 points from the Lakers’ comeback.
Ajay Mitchell was the Thunder’s top scorer with 24 points, 10 assists, and 4 rebounds.
League MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander struggled with his shooting (7-for-20), but finished with 23 points, 9 assists, and 4 rebounds.
What does it mean
The Lakers trail the Thunder 3-0 in their best-of-seven second-round series.
No team in league history has been able to come back from a 3-0 deficit in a playoff series.
turning point
When Isaiah Joe hit back-to-back 3s to close the third quarter, giving the Thunder a 90-79 lead entering the fourth quarter.
The Lakers cut their deficit to five with a 7-0 assist.
But a pair of open 3s — one of which was a pull-up — put the Thunder back up by 11.
The Thunder led by double digits for the entire fourth quarter.
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Best player: Ajay Mitchell
The second-year guard once again did the heavy lifting for the Lakers during a game in which Gilgeous-Alexander didn’t have his best game.
Mitchell shot 10-for-17 from the field, including 2-for-4 on 3s.
He scored 18 points and 7 assists in the second half.
Match stats: 44
That was the number of points the Thunder collected to score turnovers and second-chance opportunities.
the next:
Lakers-Thunder Game 4 is scheduled for 7:30 PM PT on Monday at Crypto.com Arena