The Los Angeles Lakers have been receiving a ton of buzz as a team, as they entered their Wednesday night matchup against the Oklahoma City Thunder with an 8-3 record after defeating the Charlotte Hornets. A lot of this hype was built around the offensive play from Austin Reaves and Luka Doncic, so the Thunder gave them a tough reality check in their contest.

The Thunder walked away as winners with a 121-92 final score, holding Luka Doncic to 19 points and Austin Reaves to 13. It was the first time since March 20th, 2025, that the Lakers didn't have a player eclipse 20 points in a game. Now 1-2 on their five-game road trip, head coach JJ Redick voiced his frustrations and called out his team after the loss.

JJ Redick Calls Out The Team

Oh No He Didn't (@ohnohedidnt24) on X JJ Redick: "I don't think it's been a great road trip for us. I don't think it's reflective of who the group is going be but it clearly is who the group is right now and so we've gotta course correct"

"I don't think it's been a great road trip for us...I don't think it's reflective of who the group is going to be, but it clearly is who the group is right now, and so we've gotta course correct," Redick said.

With blowout losses to both the Hawks and the Thunder, and a poor second half against the Charlotte Hornets, according to Redick, the Lakers will look to respond and make a statement in their next contest when they face the New Orleans Pelicans on Friday.

Oh No He Didn't (@ohnohedidnt24) on X

As for what led to the Lakers' loss, reasons that can be pointed to include their 20 turnovers, with Doncic, Reaves, and Deandre Ayton each having four or more. Additionally, the Thunder did a great job of limiting Reaves and Doncic, and the team wasn't able to get going around them.

While the Lakers will surely drum up plenty of wins this season through the offensive play of Reaves and Doncic, the reality is that they cannot rely on them to be the reason they win every game. Whether that's Rui Hachimura or Jake LaRavia stepping up, the Lakers need to find ways to balance their attack so strong defensive teams like the Thunder don't punish them.

Arash Markazi (@ArashMarkazi) on X The Lakers that started the season are a good team. They’re a playoff team. But they’re not a championship team without LeBron James returning and playing like a Top 10 player. I know some people don’t want to admit that but that’s just a fact.

Obviously, the return of LeBron James should help this team, bringing his high IQ and offensive skills. But, the Lakers still need to find a way to look more like they did at the end of October, beginning of November, and get a more balanced, all-around effort from their roster.

The Lakers have contests against the Pelicans and Milwaukee Bucks to close out their road trip, and they'll start in New Orleans on Friday with an 8:00 p.m. EST tip.