The odds are not in favor Los Angeles Lakers defeating the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference semifinals.
The Thunder are the reigning NBA champions, have defending NBA Most Valuable Player Shai Gilgeous-Alexander on the roster and went 4-0 against the Lakers in the regular season. Meanwhile, the Lakers are missing superstar Luka Doncic and nearly blew a 3-0 series lead in the first round against the Houston Rockets.
NBA legend Magic Johnson, who won five NBA championships with Los Angeles, explained how the Lakers can pull off an upset over the Thunder.
“My Lakers have an uphill battle going against the reigning World Champions OKC and SGA, who in my mind was the MVP of the First Round of the Playoffs! To beat OKC, we have to find a way to not turn the ball over as much as we did against the Rockets and play great on both ends of the floor – so who’s going to step up and provide scoring to help LeBron and Austin? One thing we all know is OKC can score the basketball, so the Lakers are going to have to play some of their best basketball!” Johnson wrote on X on Monday.
Johnson highlighted strong defense and protecting the ball as two key things the Lakers need to focus on in the second-round series that begins on Tuesday.
Against the Rockets in the first round, the Lakers averaged 17.7 turnovers per game. This was also a problem during all four regular season matchups against the Thunder, as the Lakers averaged 17.5 turnovers per game against Oklahoma City.
“They’re really good at runs. Part of that is how good their defense is. Their ability to create turnovers, their live-ball turnovers, really kill you. They don’t get out in transition at times, but when they do, they’re the best in the NBA,” Lakers coach JJ Redick said of the Thunder on Monday, per ESPN’s Dave McMenamin.
Figuring out a way to limit turnovers l will be crucial for the Lakers to overcome the defending NBA champions in the Western Conference semifinals.
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