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OKLAHOMA CITY — Switching onto Isaiah Hartenstein, Luka Doncic was like a shark swimming in blood-infested water. Playing on OKC's City Edition alternate court again, the Los Angeles superstar might've had a change of supporting characters but repeated his dominance. Several step-back 3-pointers were the ultimate demoralizers as he toyed with the seven-footer.
The Oklahoma City Thunder dropped a 126-99 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers. OKC trailed by as many as 29 points. The lopsided defeat has caused it to deal with just its second two-game losing streak of the season.
The result was known early on. Priding themselves on their league-best defense, the Lakers torched the Thunder with a 42-32 lead after the first quarter. That continued in the second frame as an 18-2 run ballooned its advantage past 20 points.
The Lakers entered halftime with a commanding 78-56 lead. The concept of a missed basket was foreign to them. They lit the basket with a 15-of-22 outside shooting performance in the first half alone. Doncic destroyed every Thunder defender thrown his way and Austin Reaves resembled prime Klay Thompson.
The second half was much of the same story. The Lakers controlled the entire game and led by double-digit points for most of the contest. The Thunder only scored 21 points in the third frame and exited with a 103-77 hole. They prettied the score in the fourth quarter with 22 points but that was pure optics.
The Thunder shot 43% from the field and went 12-of-37 (32.4%) from 3. They shot 9-of-12 on free throws. They had 20 assists on 39 baskets. Three Thunder players scored double-digit points.
Gilgeous-Alexander had 26 points but he had to earn them. Jalen Williams only had 16 points on 4-of-14 shooting. Chet Holmgren logged 10 points.
Meanwhile, the Lakers shot 55% from the field and went 22-of-40 (55%) from 3. They shot 12-of-17 on free throws. They had 25 assists on 46 baskets. Six Lakers players scored double-digit points.
Doncic led the way with 30 points, seven rebounds and six assists. LeBron James had 19 points and seven assists. Reaves scored 20 points on 7-of-15 shooting. Rui Hachimura finished with 11 points and seven rebounds. Dorian Finney-Smith had 14 points and Gabe Vincent had 12 points off the bench.
That's now two straight games where the Thunder have looked like they slept walk through the game. Both against viable playoff teams they'll likely need to face on their path to a hopeful NBA championship. There was a lot of anticipation for this game. This was the first time they saw the Lakers since they rebranded as a LeBron-Luka franchise. The results weren't pretty as the Lakers sent a message to the West's top seed.
Let's look at Thunder player grades:
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: A
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Attacking the paint all game, Gilgeous-Alexander didn't let a lack of a whistle discourage him. The drive-heavy went head-first into several Los Angeles defenders and earned his baskets the blue-collar way. If NBA referees are going to be hypnotized by Twitter and TikTok, all the MVP candidate can do is apply pressure to give him calls.
Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 26 points on 12-of-23 shooting, nine assists and three rebounds. He shot 2-of-5 from 3. He attempted zero free throws and just two in the last two games.
After no-showing against the Houston Rockets while Williams and Holmgren showed up, the roles were reversed in this second straight loss. Gilgeous-Alexander tried his best to will the Thunder back in it but the Lakers continued to bury them on the scoreboard.
Gilgeous-Alexander still got to his mid-range spots and did enough to have a competitive game, but a lack of whistle and teammate help shortened his night. He only played 30 minutes as he sat out another fourth quarter but for the novel reason of being on the wrong side of a blowout.
Jalen Williams: D
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Facing off against James and Doncic, the Thunder need one of their two co-stars to step up. Gilgeous-Alexander can only do so much by himself. Instead, we saw how ugly it can get when Williams and Holmgren fade into the background.
Williams finished with 16 points on 4-of-14 shooting, six rebounds and three assists. He shot 1-of-4 from 3 and went 7-of-8 on free throws. He also had three steals.
Unlike Gilgeous-Alexander, Williams drew plenty of calls. The drive-heavy scorer attempted eight of the Thunder's 12 free throws. That was the only saving grace of an otherwise forgettable game. Fresh off an impressive 33 points, the 23-year-old faded into the background as the Lakers blasted OKC on the scoreboard.
Zero consequences exist with this loss. That said, Williams has had a history of these inconsistent performances at a semi-big stage. Considering all the talk surrounding the Lakers and how they could be the Thunder's biggest playoff threat, this didn't ease any of those concerns if these teams meet up.
Chet Holmgren: D-minus
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Everything said about Williams can be applied to Holmgren, too. Going with the double-big lineup, the Lakers shaved off some of their net rating points with this lopsided defeat. The 23-year-old was invisible as Doncic and James endured he'd be in foul trouble.
Holmgren finished with 10 points on 4-of-6 shooting, three rebounds and one assist. He shot 2-of-3 from 3. He also had one block. Four fouls limited him to just 25 minutes.
These types of outings have always been a problem for Holmgren. He plays way too much into the flow of the game. That can result in these nothing burgers where it's easy to remember he's on the court. That's stomachable when the seven-footer brings elite rim protection on the other end, but he didn't do that as the Lakers scored in a flurry.
This game holds zero value in the grand scheme of the season, but it's difficult to ignore these disturbing trends that have plagued the Thunder in their losses over the last two seasons. Everybody minus Gilgeous-Alexander struggled to contribute. That eventually broke the game open for the opposition.
From block to bucket@OGandE Power Play of the Game pic.twitter.com/62az7n06JI
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) April 6, 2025
Isaiah Hartenstein: F
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When the Thunder brought over Hartenstein in the offseason, he was penciled in as a guaranteed rotation player in the playoffs. Heck, maybe he'd even start considering how impactful the double-big lineup has been. This lopsided loss showed the opposite side of that belief. It'll be tough to play the seven-footer heavy minutes if he gets hunted out like he did tonight.
Hartenstein finished with eight points on 4-of-4 shooting and six rebounds. He had one steal and committed three fouls in just 25 minutes.
The Lakers were always one of the teams circled to see how Hartenstein would perform against. That was the case when they had Anthony Davis and remains so with Doncic. The Thunder likely hoped they could match up size with size. Instead, Los Angeles went at him with their perimeter scorers until the game escalated.
Highlights:
This article originally appeared on OKC Thunder Wire: Player grades: Thunder can't keep up with Lakers in 126-99 loss
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