Lakers player grades: L.A. gets blitzed again in Game 3 by Thunder
After getting steamrolled in the second half of Game 3 against the Thunder, the Lakers are now on the verge of getting swept.
The Los Angeles Lakers returned home for Game 3 of the Western Conference semifinals against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Saturday after losing the first two games of the series. They were hoping that a change of venue would help them get into this series and make things competitive. Instead, Game 3 was almost like a replay of Game 2 on Thursday .
Los Angeles stayed within range just enough early and ended the first quarter down by six, and it got hot from the outside in the second quarter and took a 59-57 lead at halftime. At that point, there was a trickle of hope that perhaps the team could get on the board with a victory. Instead, the Thunder flexed hard in the third quarter and turned this contest into a laugher.
They won the period 33-20 as L. A. went cold offensively, and they gradually built a large lead as the second half wore on.
With a 131-108 loss, the Lakers are now one game away from elimination. They lost this game because of their two familiar weaknesses. They turned the ball over 17 times, leading to 30 Oklahoma City points, and they also gave up 21 second-chance points on 12 Oklahoma City offensive rebounds.
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