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The Los Angeles Lakers struggled against the Oklahoma City Thunder. Actually, 'struggle' may be an understatement. Coach JJ Redick watched his squad score 19 and 18 points in the latter half of this NBA Playoffs bout. LeBron James played as good as he could and Luka Doncic remains to be sidelined due to an injury, so what's the play here? Austin Reaves posits that he knows that their top improvement need is.
Reaves gets real on how Lakers can improve against the Thunder
The primary point of improvement is to find an adequate substitute for Luka Doncic who can run the Lakers offense. See, LeBron James may play great but Coach JJ Redick cannot just rely on him for all of the NBA Playoffs. This is where Austin Reaves comes in. The Lakers guard posits that the only way they have a fighting chance is if he also improves in Game 2, via Sam Amick of The Athletic.
"Yeah, I mean the easy solution is to make more shots. I got to my spots multiple times and just missed a couple of easy shots. But for the most part, you’ve got to limit the turnovers. They pressure the ball really well. You’ve just got to give us an opportunity to get a shot," Reaves said.
A lot of those woes start with Reaves being better for the Lakers. He recorded a game-high four turnovers while only dropping six assists. Moreover, the Lakers guard also scored a dismal eight points while going three of 16 from the field. If Coach Redick finds a way for Reaves to deliver in bigger moments, the Lakers have a standing chance against the Thunder.
Moreover, Rui Hachimura and Marcus Smart need to remain as efficient as possible too. They were a big key as to why the Thunder's lead did not balloon to more than 21 points in Game 1 of their NBA Playoffs bout.
A lot of moving parts are involved just for the Lakers to survive without Doncic. Can they extend this Thunder series until he comes back?
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