LeBron James addressed the media Thursday following the Los Angeles Lakers’ 139-96 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder at Paycom Center.
“Health is wealth. We’re already out with Marcus right now and now Luka. We don’t know what the time is, but we’ll see what happens,” he said.
James acknowledged the challenge of adjusting after the defeat. “Our mindset should be about Dallas and not OKC. That’s our next matchup and then we’ll get to them. But yeah, we understand and know what they’re capable of,” he said. The Lakers face a rematch against the Thunder on April 7, following the loss that dropped them 11 games behind Oklahoma City in the Western Conference standings.
On the defensive intensity of the Thunder, James explained, “They have multiple wing defenders, multiple guys that can get up in the ball. They try to speed you up as much as they can. They got great hands, they got great length. It’s hard versus a team like that when you’re giving them pick sixes. I think we had eight turnovers for 14 points like in the first 6-7 minutes of the game. That’s the game right there.”
Reflecting on facing high-pressure teams, James added, “We’ve had some teams that put pressure on you, not to that capacity to have so many. They were still without AC as well, another one of those pesky wing defenders that can heckle the ball. But they did a great job. They’re defending champs and we expect nothing less.”
James also discussed the stability of the Lakers amid adversity. “Nothing has changed. We still will be obviously tested with the head of the snake. Nothing is rattled. It’s one game. It’s part of the NBA season. As defending champions we get it. We understand if he misses sometime no matter what it is,” he said, referring to Luka Doncic’s injury during the game.
On his personal role adjustments, James noted, “I don’t know what the role will be asking me. We have to see what that role will be. I’ve been in this one for a minute now. So, it’ll be an adjustment, but we’ll see.”
The Lakers struggled without Doncic, who left with a left hamstring injury, and Marcus Smart, contributing to the Thunder’s dominating performance. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led Oklahoma City with 28 points, while Isaiah Joe added 20, helping the Thunder reach a 53.9% shooting clip. LeBron led the Lakers with 13 points alongside Austin Reaves’ 15.
The loss marked one of the largest in Lakers history, leaving James’ squad to regroup as they head to Dallas on Sunday.
