Austin Reaves Admits He Must Improve After Rough Game 1 Loss to Thunder
austin-reaves-says-he-must-improve-after-game-1-loss
The Los Angeles Lakers opened the Western Conference semifinals on May 5, 2026, with a 108-90 defeat to the Oklahoma City Thunder at Paycom Center, and guard Austin Reaves acknowledged he needs to raise his level of play.
Appearing in his third game since returning from a Grade 2 left oblique strain, Reaves shot 3-for-16 from the field, committed a team-high four turnovers and missed all five of his three-point attempts. “Obviously the easy thing is to make more shots,” he said postgame. “I got to my spots multiple times and just missed a couple easy shots. But for the most part, gotta limit the turnovers. They pressure the ball really well. Gotta give us an opportunity to get a shot on goal every possession.”
Since rejoining the lineup in Game 5 of the first-round series against the Houston Rockets, the 27-year-old has connected on 14 of 46 field-goal attempts and 2 of 17 shots from beyond the arc. Asked whether he feels closer to his usual form, Reaves replied, “I mean, nobody cares about that. I gotta go out there and play better.”
Looking ahead to Game 2, Reaves emphasized a short memory. “Watch film, see what the game gives you and, like I said, learn from that and move on. It’s not gonna do us any good thinking about that,” he said.
The Lakers are already without Luka Dončić, who remains sidelined by a Grade 2 left hamstring strain, increasing the need for Reaves to contribute offensively if Los Angeles hopes to challenge a Thunder team that has resembled a championship contender.
Redick Cites Costly Mistakes
Head coach JJ Redick pointed to repeated breakdowns rather than a single turning point in the loss. “I don’t think there was a turning point,” Redick noted. “I think it was a general theme throughout the night of when we made game-plan mistakes, they hurt us.” He compared the miscues to those in the Game 5 loss against Houston and stressed the slim margin for error against the reigning champions.
Redick added that the Lakers “won expected score,” held Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander below 20 points and forced him into seven turnovers, but said execution must improve. “Basketball is a game full of mistakes; there was just too many tonight. We gotta clean that up,” he concluded.
Los Angeles will attempt to even the best-of-seven series when Game 2 tips off in Oklahoma City.
Source: Lakers Nation
