Austin Reaves Owns Up to Turnovers After Lakers’ 43-Point Defeat in Oklahoma City
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OKLAHOMA CITY — The Los Angeles Lakers never recovered from a disastrous opening period Thursday night, falling to the Oklahoma City Thunder 128-85 at Paycom Center. The Thunder led by 23 after the first quarter and stretched the margin to 31 at halftime, handing Los Angeles a 43-point loss.
Shooting guard Austin Reaves finished with a team-high 15 points but committed four of the Lakers’ eight first-quarter turnovers. Speaking on Spectrum SportsNet, Reaves took responsibility for the slow start.
“I did a poor job starting the game,” Reaves said. “I had a couple turnovers back-to-back and think I might’ve had four in the first quarter. I just gotta do better to give us a better opportunity at the start.”
Reaves’ early miscues offset his eight first-quarter points, including 2-for-2 shooting from beyond the arc. Oklahoma City capitalized on the giveaways to seize control and never looked back.
“They beat the [expletive] out of us,” Reaves added. “They’re the defending champs. We’ve got to be better. Losing always sucks. Doesn’t matter if you lose by one or 50, a loss is a loss.”
Los Angeles entered the matchup 15-2 in March, positioning itself firmly in the playoff race. The lopsided defeat served as a reality check with another meeting against the Thunder set for next week.
Reaves also experienced a back issue in the first half but played through it after intermission and said he does not expect the injury to linger.
Source: Lakers Nation
