LOS ANGELES — The Lakers' season becomes one game closer to meeting its end.
To keep their season alive, Los Angeles now needs to do what no team in NBA history has done: climb back from a 0-3 deficit after a deflating 131-108 Game 3 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Saturday.
"They’ve kicked our ass for three straight games; they're an incredible basketball team," said head coach JJ Redick. "I still think we can beat them, but we got to be better."
The Lakers had the Thunder on the ropes with their best quarter of basketball they've had all series. But then the Thunder did what they have done all season long: deflated teams' hopes.
The Lakers outscored the Thunder 34-26 in the second quarter behind six of eight shooting from 3 as they finally had Oklahoma City on their heels, as they struggled to find their 3 with two of 10 from deep.
Despite L.A.'s strong second quarter and loud Crypto.com Arena crowd backing them up, the Lakers only led by two points at halftime.
The energy felt as though the Lakers were going to carry their momentum into the second half.
What followed was the polar opposite.
The Lakers' 55% (11 for 20) shooting display from 3 in the first half plummeted to just one for five in the third quarter.
A 15-6 third-quarter run was the start of a deflating collapse by the Lakers as the Thunder would go on to outscore the Lakers 33-20 in the quarter.
"We didn't have the energy, the effort and they put a thirty-plus point quarter on us. That kinda took care of the game right there, honestly," said LeBron James, who had 19 points. "That third quarter, we didn't knock down shots. We didn't defend or get stops."
But who and what were the causes?
The turnovers, which have plagued the Lakers all throughout the playoffs, were a major cause as they began to pile on. L.A. turned the ball over six times in the quarter alone after only nine at halftime.
And who? Not Chet Holmgren, who had 18 points, not even MVP frontrunner Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who had 23 points, but Ajay Mitchell.
Mitchell diced up and gut-punched the Lakers' defense, finishing with a game-high 24 points with 10 assists as he scored 18 of his points in the second half.
"They’re a connected group that their pieces fit basically perfect. So, it’s tough to beat them," said Austin Reaves, who had 17 points.
The Lakers' 16 total turnovers would be the lowest they've had all series, but how much they gave up would be their highest, with 30 points surrendered to the Thunder off of their mistakes.
James (three) and Austin Reaves (five) combined for eight of the team's turnovers.
But Rui Hachimura was the team's leading scorer with 21 points, as his hot start from 3, going four for four, was the main impact on their short-lived second-quarter run.
The Thunder went on to outscore the Lakers 55-35 in the entire second half, reaching their largest lead in the fourth (27) and showing why they're the defending champions as the Lakers continue to live life in the series without Luka Dončić, whose status still remains uncertain.
L.A. now looks to avoid its first playoff sweep since 2023, having lost to the Denver Nuggets in the Western Conference Finals.
The series remains in L.A. for Game 4 on Monday (7:30 p.m.) as the Lakers look to avoid a four-game sweep and keep their season alive.