Lakers hurting for Luka Doncic as offensive slump

OKLAHOMA CITY — The reply to the Lakers’ slumping offense sat hunched in a chair in the nook of the guests’ locker room at Paycom Center. Luka Doncic, dressed in a black T-shirt and pants, scrolled on his telephone, cornered off by a wall of reporters who all confronted LeBron James trying for causes behind a postseason dry spell.

“We have a guy that averages 37 [points] a game [out],” James said. “Thirty-three-and-a-half. … There’s the issue right there.”

Since Doncic suffered a Grade 2 left hamstring pressure in this area on April 2, the Lakers used heroic performances from James, all of the sudden sizzling capturing and stout protection to paper over the absence of their main scorer. But Tuesday’s 108-90 Game 1 loss against the league-leading Oklahoma City Thunder confirmed just how a lot the Lakers miss Doncic.

On a night time they restricted Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to a season-low 18 factors and a season-high seven turnovers, the Lakers still never received nearer than 11 factors in the fourth quarter. The reigning most priceless participant scored fewer than 20 factors in a recreation for the first time since May 24, 2025.

The Lakers slugged their means through a defensive battle against the Houston Rockets in the first spherical, but their offense began lagging halfway through the collection. They’ve scored fewer than 100 factors in 4 consecutive video games, three of them losses. The workforce that shot a league-leading 50.2% during the common season has dipped to 46.5%. Their 99.6 factors per recreation in the playoffs is the bottom for any workforce still enjoying in the convention semifinals.

“When you play against great defense, you have to have guys that can attract multiple defenders on the floor at all times,” said James, who led the Lakers with 27 factors on 12-for-17 capturing. “I feel like we had great shots. We got some great shots tonight, we missed them.”

The Lakers shot 10 for 30 from three-point vary. In the first spherical, the Lakers shot better than 40% from three in all 4 of their wins in contrast to no better than 25.9% in their two losses.

The Thunder allowed the seventh-most three-pointers per recreation during the common season. Hoping to exploit the weak point, the Lakers received up 30 three-pointers, a relative enchancment from their first-round collection average of 25.5 per recreation.

But ahead Rui Hachimura, who shot three for six from three, said the workforce can afford to shoot even more.

Luke Kennard, who burst into the postseason with 50 mixed factors in Games 1 and 2 against the Houston Rockets, shot only one for three from three. Lakers coach JJ Redick lamented that the NBA’s best three-point shooter handed up some good pictures.

The Lakers struggled to generate three-pointers in the aftermath of accidents to Doncic and Austin Reaves. Reaves’ return hasn’t absolutely jump-started the offense as the guard regains his rhythm after a left indirect pressure that sidelined him for 4 weeks.

Reaves was 0 for 5 from three in his third recreation back. He is two-for-17 capturing from distance in the playoffs and had just eight factors on three-for-16 capturing Tuesday.

“I got to get my spots multiple times and just missed a couple of easy shots,” Reaves said. “But for the most part, you got to limit the turnovers. They pressure the ball really well, just got to give us an opportunity to get a shot on goal every possession.”

The Lakers dedicated 18 turnovers that led to 20 Oklahoma City factors, including 15 in the second half. Redick recognized turnovers as the Lakers’ top precedence against the most disruptive protection in the league, particularly after the Lakers averaged 17.7 turnovers per recreation during the first spherical of the playoffs.

The Lakers miss Doncic’s 33.5 factors a recreation, but against such an aggressive protection, they also ache for his ball handling that may ease the stress on Reaves (4 turnovers), Smart (two) and James (two).

“We decided we’re just going to be enough with what we have,” Hachimura said. “But I think those kinds of stuff [Doncic does] — the playmaking, especially against a team like these guys, they pressure the ball — Luka, with his size and his ball handling, everything, he could have been a good playmaker for sure.”

Doncic has elevated some of his on-court work just lately by incorporating motion into his capturing, but had not progressed to live contact by the time the collection started. He posted a picture of himself lifting weights on his Instagram story on Monday, but Redick didn’t give any updates on the star guard’s standing.

In the locker room after Tuesday’s recreation, teammates sat with their toes submerged in buckets of ice and ice packs wrapped around their joints. In his nook between the lockers for James and Reaves, Doncic turned to the facet as reporters handed by.