The Los Angeles Lakers only have three regular season games left, and they're currently clinging to the third seed in the Western Conference by a single game over four other teams. Thankfully for JJ Redick and his team, they have the tiebreaker over everyone, but a tough closing schedule means that this race is far from over.
The Lakers are 30-10 at home, a record exceeded only by the Cavs and Thunder, each of whom just so happens to be the No. 1 seed in their respective conference. This makes it that much more important to lock down the 3-seed to secure home-court advantage in the first round, and possibly the second if the superb but unproven Rockets aren't able to advance.
The Lakers have wins over the Rockets and Thunder in the last 10 days, but they still can't even say that they're the hottest team in the West. That distinction is reserved for the Warriors, who beat L.A. last week and have been nearly unstoppable since trading for Jimmy Butler, and the Clippers, who the advanced metrics say have been the best team in the league over the past month.
Sunday was a big day for the Lakers and their postseason prospects, because they went into Oklahoma City and blew the doors off the Thunder in a way that only Helen Hunt from Twister would understand. That 126-99 final was the worst home loss the Thunder and MVP frontrunner Shai Gilgeous-Alexander have suffered all year, and it was tied for the third-fewest points they've scored.
Just as he did when he nearly averaged a triple-double in eliminating the Thunder as a member of the Mavericks in the Western Conference semis last year, Luka Dončić had his way in this game. He scored 30 points on over 50 percent shooting, and only turned the ball over twice against OKC's vaunted defense while playing a game-high 37 minutes. He also chipped in seven rebounds, six assists and two steals.
Luka is the Thunder's worst nightmare, and for as invincible as they've looked through most of this season, they want nothing to do with him in the playoffs. He's averaged a 27/8/8 line against them in his career, and that's not skewed by OKC being bad in his early years, as he's scored 30 or more in six games out of a seven-game stretch from 2022-25.
The Lakers weren't a legit title contender before Luka arrived. Now they are.
Luka's skill with the ball in his hands, and his ability to make contested shots, makes him one of the most matchup-proof players in the league. That may be more important than any other factor in the playoffs, as OKC's never-ending string of perimeter demons can shut down, and wear down, nearly anyone else.
Luka raises the Lakers' ceiling in such a meaningful way, even over Anthony Davis, who is admittedly fantastic when healthy. AD played once against the Thunder this year. That game was back in December, and he scored only 15 points while mostly being matched up against Isaiah Hartenstein. As a team, the Lakers put up only 93 in the loss, and what's worse is that Chet Holmgren didn't even play in that game as he was still out with the pelvic fracture he suffered in November.
For evidence of how important Luka is to the Lakers, look no further than Tuesday night's rematch. OKC already has had the No. 1 seed locked up for quite some time, but this was an immensely important game to them. They had lost two straight games to the other top two teams in the West, and a third straight defeat would seriously dent their aura of invincibility, not to mention what it would look like to lose two straight at home to one of their main adversaries.
Even though this game was huge for the Thunder's self-confidence, the Lakers took every punch Mark Daigneault's team threw for over three quarters. They went shot for shot in an explosive 43-43 first quarter before falling behind by eight at halftime. They then fought back behind an inspired defensive effort to take a one-point lead into the fourth.
Luka was key to all of it, and he helped the Lakers retake the lead with under eight minutes left on a pullup jumper. That gave him 23 points on the night, but just seconds later he was ejected after picking up his second technical foul of the game.
All reports seem to indicate that Luka was trash-talking a fan and not the ref, but that's neither here nor there. What matters is that he got tossed, and the Thunder never looked back as they closed the game on a 29-12 run to win going away.
It was a dispiriting ending for the Lakers, but they should be buoyed by the knowledge that they took OKC's best punch until Luka got thrown out. That should also linger in the back of every Thunder player's mind, and it will be interesting to see how it affects a potential playoff matchup.
A Lakers-Thunder playoff series isn't close at hand, not if L.A. can lock up the No. 3 seed. That would necessitate both teams winning two playoff series before a potential Western Conference Finals clash, but if they do get to that point, the Lakers shouldn't be intimidated in the slightest after seeing what they can do at full strength, and Luka is the biggest reason why.
Luka and the Lakers will have other things on their minds as they visit Dallas for the first time since that fateful trade. A win over the Mavs in Luka's homecoming would put them on the doorstep of clinching third in the West, so they need to quickly shake off the aftereffects of Wednesday night and focus on the task at hand.