All the expected main characters of the Lakers-Thunder series were present to make a difference in Game 1, and as usual, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander gave Lakers coach JJ Redick the most to think about.

After the Lakers' 18-point defeat in Game 1 of the semifinal series, Redick admitted postgame that his team's defensive issues, especially Shai's coverage, ended up hurting them from time to time.

"Whether it was a coverage thing or Shai coverage – every time we didn't execute, they hurt us. And then the other point – when they did get an offensive rebound, they absolutely killed us. We didn't do a good job of building back out on the offensive rebound." Redick said.

Contrary to Redick's comments, the Lakers held SGA to a quieter game than usual in the box score. The reigning MVP scored 18 points on 8-of-15 shooting along with 6 assists.

When asked about how they were able to hold SGA to under 20 points but still ended up on the losing side, Redick was not interested in talking about the scoreline.

"I think we did a good job on our Shai execution. You know the rotations out of that weren't always great. They got good players. They shot 16 for 28 on non-paint twos. Again, we did some good things. That 108-90 doesn't matter to me. We lost a game." Redick reflected.

While it did not end up working out for this game, the Lakers now have the blueprint on how they can effectively guard SGA to limit his scoring as much as possible.

This is the fewest points the Canadian has scored in a game since Game 3 of the Conference finals last year against Minnesota. The 27-year-old also just tried one shot from deep and had seven turnovers to his name as well.

The Lakers can take all the credit for this, as they have been one of the most stringent half-court defensive units in the postseason, allowing just 84.9 points per 100 plays and limiting the Thunder to just 94.3 points per Tuesday night.

However, on a night where the Thunder's main player had his worst scoring game in a year, the Lakers only have themselves to blame for not capitalizing on it, as their own offense was below average at best.

The Lakers' Offense Let Them Down Against the Oklahoma City Thunder

Apart from King James defying his age time and again, the rest of the Lakers' offense was uninspiring, to say the least. James topped the Lakers' box score with 27 points, 6 assists, and 4 rebounds on 70% shooting.

After Luka Doncic, the Lakers' offense got hit yet again as Jarred Vanderbilt had to leave the court after suffering a dislocated finger.

Meanwhile, Austin Reaves had an abysmal shooting performance, finishing with just 8 points in 3-of-16 shooting from the field and 0-of-5 from beyond the arc. The 27-year-old has recently returned from injury and has not found his rhythm yet.

The 17-time NBA champions would hope for Reaves to find his form soon to provide James with a good option, and for them to have any chance to overcome the reigning NBA champions.

Game 2 will be on the road for the Lakers again on Thursday night, as they try again to get an away win ahead of two important home games at the Crypto.com Arena.

So, do you think the Lakers will be able to put the brakes on SGA again while also upping their offense?

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Written by

Joy Bassy

Edited by

Souvik Roy