The Los Angeles Lakers knew what kind of night they were walking into even before tipoff. The Oklahoma City Thunder’s physical defense is the key to their dominance, and games against them rarely come without friction or emotional outbursts. Tonight was no different, and Lakers head coach JJ Redick already had tension simmering.

Before the game, Redick told the media that Thunder players often grab and hold offensive players on nearly every possession, and LA needs to focus on taking care of the ball instead of letting silly turnovers catch up to them. Unfortunately, things didn’t go too well.

Despite the Thunder being extremely shorthanded, including the absence of reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, they walked out of Crypto.com Arena with a nine-point win. They swarmed lanes, forced turnovers, and every empty Lakers possession seemed to further fuel OKC’s momentum. To make things worse, Redick’s message seemed to fall on deaf ears, with refs yet again not calling the Thunder for many fouls.

Instead of calling out referees after the game, like many often do, Redick took a different approach. Instead of showing frustration towards foul calls, he focused on more internal problems.

“They’re going to pressure you, and I think we had a number of really good possessions where we brought the right guys into the action,” Redick told the media after the game. “We got the matchups and created driving angles for AR or matchups for LeBron throughout the game.”

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Redick explained that the team kept trying to make home-run plays, a strategy that doesn’t work against championship level teams who have good coaching and can make the right reads. The unforced errors, as he called the turnovers, were the real issue for him, not officiating.

By calling out on-court play instead of the refs, Redick avoided the fines and warning usual officiating-based complaints often draw from the league. After all, he had good reason to complain.

Thunder Close Strong as Shorthanded Matchup Slips Away From JJ Redick’s Lakers

Both teams came into Monday night short-handed but the Thunder handled the game better late. Without SGA for a third straight game and with Luka Doncic sidelined for the Lakers, the matchup turned into a test of depth, with Jalen Williams and Isaiah Joe leading the way as OKC ended a two-game skid.

The game swung wildly during the middle. The Thunder built a 14-point lead in the first half, carrying a 67-58 lead, with Joe doing most of his scoring early. The Lakers ripped off a 22-3 run to briefly take back control, but OKC never panicked. Alex Caruso let the team flip the lead back to end the third, heading into the fourth with a two-point lead.

From there, it was pure execution. Isaiah Hartenstein sparked an 11-2 run, and Williams closed the game at the free throw line. LeBron James tried his best with 22 points and 10 assists, but missed a late three. OKC is now 2-0 against the Lakers, with two meetings on the way, and they proved they can win without their superstar.