Austin Reaves' struggles compound Lakers' uphill battle vs Thunder in NBA Playoffs
Lakers guard Austin Reaves, the former OU sharpshooter, made just 3 of 16 shots and scored eight points in 36 minutes in a 108-90 loss to the Thunder in Game 1.
Austin Reaves had a chance to cut the Lakers ’ deficit in half. An open 3-pointer — a shot he typically makes — with Los Angeles trailing the Oklahoma City Thunder by six with 5:08 left in the third could have been the start of a turning point. Except, Reaves missed.
Jaxson Hayes grabbed his teammate’s miss. He then turned the ball over. OKC’s Lu Dort followed with a 3-pointer.
A six-point swing in a crucial moment. Then, it got worse. Reaves followed with a bad pass stolen by Cason Wallace , who followed with a layup.
An eight-point swing and 11-point Thunder lead. Even if it didn’t feel that way to LA, it was all but over right then in a 108-90 loss to the Thunder in Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals Tuesday night at Paycom Center. More: Chet Holmgren, Thunder pull away from Lakers in Game 1, stay perfect in 2026 NBA Playoffs “I think we did a good job managing their runs,” Lakers coach JJ Redick said.