Oklahoma City aims for a 3-0 series stranglehold through Ajay Mitchell and turnovers.
Oklahoma City has won both games in this series by 18 points, but the champs cannot afford to become complacent. They have an opportunity to issue a killing stroke in Game 3, as no team in NBA history has ever lost a series after winning the first three contests.
Luka Dončić and Jalen Williams remain out. Keep reading for three key matchups for this pivotal clash.
Ajay Mitchell Minutes
The Thunder needed Ajay Mitchell to step up when Jalen Williams strained his hamstring against Phoenix, and the sophomore has delivered. Mitchell is generating paint touches, finding open shooters, and doing an excellent job of oscillating between scoring and playmaking.
He’s especially crucial in this series because the Lakers are constantly trapping Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Mitchell’s ability to orchestrate 4v3 possessions while also running the non-Gilgeous-Alexander minutes is fueling the Thunder’s success.
Chet Holmgren said the following about Mitchell during his post-game interview – “His three years in college he didn’t play a single minute with Shai, so he knows how to run an offense. He knows how to make plays. We saw it tonight, and we see it every time he steps out there. We all got full confidence in him, the plays that he makes, and when he has the ball we know something good is going to happen."
Overall, Oklahoma City has scored a monstrous 140.1 points per 100 possessions during Mitchell’s 148 non-garbage time minutes this playoffs.
Turnovers
Los Angeles has committed 37 turnovers so far this series compared to 26 for Oklahoma City. It’s a crushing deficit because the Lakers are already at a talent disadvantage. Handing the Thunder more possessions is a death sentence.
Austin Reaves is a repeat offender, as he’s turning the basketball over on 19.4% of his plays. Cason Wallace and Alex Caruso are both applying a tremendous amount of pressure when Reaves dribbles, so it will be difficult for the Lakers guard to fix this issue.
Lakers’ 3-Point Shooting
Los Angeles shot 33.3% from deep on 30 attempts in Game 1 and 37.9% on 29 attempts in Game 2. These performances are simply not good enough. The Lakers need to increase their three-point attempt rate while hovering around 40%. Otherwise, it’s unlikely that Los Angeles can keep pace with Oklahoma City’s offense.
Rui Hachimura has made 57.1% of his triples this postseason, so JJ Redick should run more plays designed to get him a decent catch-and-shoot triple. Reaves and Marcus Smart also must be efficient on their attempts in Game 3.