Some members of the Los Angeles Lakers’ locker room reasoned last season that the club with the best Western record would be Oklahoma City, not Denver, and that the Lakers’ route to the NBA Finals would be more advantageous.
The reasoning went like this: Denver was physically superior than the Lakers and just too large. Even Thunder hadn’t done so.
Despite Oklahoma City’s youth, quickness, and agility, the Lakers had won three games in a row. It provided them an advantage and, more importantly, the confidence that they would emerge victorious in a matchup.
In Friday’s last game of their NBA Cup pool play, the Lakers hosted the Thunder and were brutally defeated 99-93 by Oklahoma City’s newfound power. The loss left the Lakers battered and virtually guaranteed their elimination from the tournament’s next round.
Although next week will see the completion of cup play and the final tiebreak scenarios, the odds of success are small due to two losses and a negative point difference.
On Friday, the Lakers learned the hard way that there is a mental toll to taking in so much physicality.
As Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was driving to the hoop, Lakers point guard Max Christie grabbed him and fouled him, perhaps indicating that the team had a foul to hand out in the final 24 seconds. They failed to do so, and Oklahoma City took the lead thanks to two free throws made by Gilgeous-Alexander.
The ball got out of bounds after a timeout for the Lakers, and Jaylen Williams dunks after intercepting a pass from Austin Reaves.
