OKLAHOMA CITY — The score wasn’t the only thing that made this the Lakers’ worst loss of the season.
Even more concerning than the Lakers’ 139-96 blowout loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Thursday was watching superstar guard Luka Doncic hobble off the court with a left hamstring injury in the third quarter.
Doncic went straight to the locker room and didn’t return as the Lakers, trailing by 32 when he left, let Oklahoma City’s lead balloon to 45. Doncic’s was the second injury scare the Lakers weathered in the game that was supposed to be a marquee matchup between the hottest teams in the league.
Austin Reaves hobbled through the first quarter, grabbing at his left lower back at nearly every sudden movement. He appeared to get hurt chasing down a loose ball with 6:23 remaining. He turned the ball over trying to connect with Deandre Ayton on the next possession, reaching immediately for his lower back after the pass went awry.
The Lakers had 18 turnovers. Since the All-Star break, they had become one of the best teams when it came to taking care of the ball, committing only 12.6 turnovers per game, ranking third in the league.
Lu Dort had two steals and hit all four of his three-pointers as the Thunder were seven for 11 from three-point range. Reaves, who returned from the locker room with 9:40 left in the second quarter, was the only Laker player with multiple made field goals in the first quarter.
He had two.
Doncic had just five points in the first quarter. He was one for six from the field. With 1:06 remaining in the second quarter, Doncic drove into the paint to fire a two-handed overhead pass to Luke Kennard for a corner three. As Kennard’s shot circled the rim and bounced out, Doncic grabbed at his left hamstring.
He missed four games because of a left hamstring injury in February and played through hamstring soreness against the Brooklyn Nets on March 27 as the Lakers put together a 15-2 record in March.
Doncic scored 600 points last month, joining Michael Jordan as the only players in NBA history to achieve the feat in March. He was named Western Conference player of the month on Thursday, adding another line to his most valuable player application.
Oklahoma City’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander dominated in the much-anticipated matchup of MVP contenders. The reigning MVP had 28 points, seven assists and seven rebounds.
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