LOS ANGELES -- JJ Redick doesn't have many answers for what he has seen so far in a lopsided Western Conference semifinals series against the Oklahoma City Thunder. One of the few he did offer after a 131-108 loss in Game 3 on Saturday night spoke volumes about the Thunder's domination over his team, a stretch in which the Lakers have lost three playoff games in a row by 15 points or more in a row for the first time in their history.
"They've kicked our ass three straight games," Redick said. "They're an incredible basketball team."
Redick offered what context he could, but the look on his face said almost as much as the words coming out of his mouth. The 41-year-old basketball lifer wore a look of frustration tinged with resignation. It's the same look veteran guard Luke Kennard had as he spoke at the podium a few minutes later. For the third consecutive game, the Thunder have hit another level that the Lakers can't match.
Playing without star guard Luka Dončić, the Lakers have done their best to hang in there with the defending champion Thunder, but further proof of the vast difference in talent between the teams came after the Lakers walked into halftime with a 59-57 lead. They proceeded to get outscored by 25 points in the second half, and for the series, the Thunder have outscored the Lakers by a combined 54 points.
"Third straight game, we're right there after 2 1/2 quarters," Redick said, in a message he noted was also relayed to the team. "We tried different lineups, different coverages. Still lost those minutes again. We've got to be better, but I'm not giving up on this series, and we're gonna go try to win on Monday, we're gonna try to extend the series, and we're gonna try to take this thing back to OKC."
Redick can maintain a level of optimism publicly, but what else is he supposed to say?
For the third game in a row, the Lakers were outclassed. In a previous basketball life, maybe LeBron James could have closed the talent gap between the teams, but not at age 41. He was just 7-for-19 from the field and couldn't find the extra bounce in the second half when he needed it. Austin Reaves was just 5-for-13, also unable to stop the tide in the second half.
James sees the problems everyone else does. When asked about adjustments the Lakers tried and how the Thunder adapted, he knew the difference showed up again in the final 24 minutes.
"I mean, obviously, the third quarter. We'll start with that," James said. "We didn't have the energy, the effort, and they put a 30-plus-point quarter on us and kind of took care of the game right there, honestly. You know, we had moments, obviously, in the first half that were really good for us. We did a good job of sharing the ball and knocking down shots. And that third quarter, we didn't knock down shots; we didn't defend -- or get stops, I would say. We did defend, but we didn't get stops, and it allowed them to kind of take control of the game."
The Thunder, who are now 7-0 this postseason, have all the control and show no signs of slowing down. Ajay Mitchell had 24 points and offered the latest reminder of just how deep the Thunder roster can go. The Lakers don't have that type of depth or talent. All they have left is pride in trying not to get swept Monday night.
Redick has tried what he can to come up with different answers, but he knows the truth: The Lakers simply can't measure up to a Thunder team that has a championship pedigree and is playing with something to prove.
"Typically, if you can poke holes in a playoff series, there's a good chance they might have a temporary solution or can sort of adjust maybe a little bit," Redick said. "This team in-game, because of their personnel, can just adjust like that. They need shooting on the floor? Great. They need multiple wing defenders on the floor? Great. They need two bigs on the floor? Great. It's just -- they're a terrific basketball team. I said that before the series. I've been very impressed with them. I still think we can beat them, but we got to be better."