The Lakers had a golden opportunity on Monday night - facing an Oklahoma City Thunder team missing its superstar, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. But even without their offensive engine, the defending champs reminded everyone why they’re still the team to beat. Their defense - long, disciplined, and relentless - gave the Lakers fits all night, and in the end, Los Angeles couldn’t keep up, falling 119-110.
Turnovers were a major issue for the Lakers, especially in the second and fourth quarters when the game’s momentum hung in the balance. Oklahoma City didn’t just force mistakes - they capitalized on them, turning defensive pressure into transition buckets and timely stops. It’s the kind of defensive identity that wins in May and June, and it’s exactly what the Lakers struggled to match.
To be fair, Los Angeles wasn’t at full strength. Luka Doncic missed his second straight game with a hamstring strain, just as Austin Reaves had finally returned from a 20-game absence due to a calf injury.
But even with the injuries, the Lakers were outmatched in terms of physicality and consistency. The Thunder played with a level of energy and cohesion that the Lakers couldn’t sustain.
After the game, LeBron James didn’t sugarcoat the gap between the two teams. When asked about how the Lakers stack up against the Thunder, he kept it blunt.
“You want me to compare us to them? That’s a championship team right there.
We’re not,” James said. “We can’t sustain energy and effort for 48 minutes, and they can.
That’s why they won a championship.”
That’s a telling quote from a player who’s seen just about everything the NBA has to offer. LeBron knows what a title team looks like - and right now, the Lakers aren’t it.
The loss drops L.A. to 32-20, good for fifth in the Western Conference. That’s a respectable record, but in a conference this deep and competitive, it doesn’t leave a lot of margin for error. Meanwhile, the Thunder keep rolling, improving to a league-best 41-13 as they continue to show why their title run last season wasn’t a fluke.
For the Lakers, the same issues keep surfacing: inconsistent play, lapses on both ends of the floor, and a revolving door of injuries. They’ve shown flashes of high-level basketball, but those flashes haven’t turned into full games - and full games are what it takes to win in this league, especially against teams like Oklahoma City.
With the All-Star break approaching and the playoff picture beginning to take shape, time is running out for the Lakers to find their rhythm. If they want to be more than just a tough out in the first round, they’ll need to get healthy, get consistent, and get serious - fast.