As the player typically tasked with defusing tension, Jarred Vanderbilt’s sideline confrontation with coach JJ Redick signaled a new breaking point for the injury-riddled Lakers. Although JJ Redick doesn’t use him heavily, he brings some calmness. Vanderbilt is the player defusing tension, be it between Luka Doncic and Redick or with referees. But the nerves of the latest injury crisis are getting to everyone.

There was a heated confrontation between Vanderbilt and JJ Redick. It happened in the first half against the Thunder. The Lakers forward missed three free throws, prompting the head coach to make a switch. Vando didn’t take kindly to that, since the Lakers entered the contest with a depleted rotation. Four of their starters are out, including LeBron James.

Jarred Vanderbilt walked right up to JJ Redick to confront him. At one point, Jake LaRavia had to step in. That didn’t help cool the situation down. After a while, Vanderbilt and Redick argued on the bench. The Lakers head coach was visibly incensed with the forward’s retaliation toward his decision.

Those tense moments summed up the distress in the Lakers locker room, a consequence of injuries to both Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves.

It was also an important moment for JJ Redick. He’s had arguments, even provoking Luka Doncic in one game. However, Vanderbilt directly opposed his authority as the head coach. Likewise, Redick didn’t play the 27-year-old from that point on. Everybody except Jarred Vanderbilt made it off the bench against the Thunder.

The defensive-minded forward hasn’t had the opportunities to be a consistent part of the rotations this season. Vando is averaging under 18 minutes per game, putting up 4.5 points and 4.5 rebounds. Redick prefers Jake LaRavia due to Vanderbilt’s poor three-point shooting.

But with the absences tonight, Vanderbilt expected to hear his number called more often. Without Doncic and LeBron, the two players who shoulder the offensive load and bail the Lakers out of difficult moments, the pressure to execute fell harder on role players.

Every missed free throw carried more weight, and every benching stung more sharply. That’s where the tensions stemmed from. And well before that moment, the defending champions had already frustrated the Lakers.

The Thunder smash the Lakers yet again

For the second time this week, OKC handed the Lakers an embarrassing result. Tonight was explainable. JJ Redick didn’t have his best cast, actually utilizing his G-League players this time. However, no one expected them to make things tough for the Thunder. The called-up players got a taste of what it means to be a championship-caliber team.

Proving it’s about efficiently going about business, the Thunder scored 123 points with none of their starters playing even 30 minutes. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had a field day, piling up 25 points and 8 assists while shooting 10-15 from the floor as the team collectively caught fire from deep, nailing 51.2% of their threes. Reserve Isaiah Joe punctuated that barrage by drilling six triples off the bench.

In contrast, the Lakers didn’t have much of an offense to begin with. Rui Hachimura scored 15, the most for the Lakers. But their shooting inefficiency wasn’t the worst stat. The frustrations started from the charity stripe. The Purple and Gold made just 14 of their 31 attempts.

It led to a complete demolition at the hands of the Thunder. The Lakers lost by 36, trailing by 41 at their peak. They didn’t win a single quarter of basketball.

This has complicated the Lakers’ postseason path. Before the injuries to Luka Doncic and Reaves, the Purple and Gold seemed to be a lock for the third seed. However, the Nuggets and Rockets are playing their best basketball. Denver already overtook them. The Rockets need to win two more to do the same.

The brief stretch could see the Lakers lose their home-court advantage. The only reason to be optimistic right now is Doncic’s trip to Spain. JJ Redick will pray the six-time All-Star can return in time for the postseason for the Lakers to have a chance to compete.