LeBron James Sends Blunt Message About Lakers' Defense on Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

JJ Redick and the Los Angeles Lakers came out with an excellent defensive game plan against Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in Game 1 of their second-round playoff series against the Oklahoma City Thunder.

The Lakers held Gilgeous-Alexander to just 18 points on 8/15 shooting from the field and 0/1 shooting from behind the three point arc. The reigning league MVP, who averaged more than 12 free-throw attempts per game in the Thunder’s first-round playoff sweep of the Phoenix Suns, had just three attempts in Game 1.

All that being said, the Thunder still took down the visiting Lakers with a 108-90 final score.

When asked about the Lakers’ defense on Gilgeous-Alexander, LeBron James fired back at reporters with a blunt response.

"We’re down 1-0. This ain't Shai vs. the Lakers, it's Lakers vs. the Thunder. We’re down 1-0. That’s the main thing. Keep the main thing the main thing, and that’s who win or lose,” James said.

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Gilgeous-Alexander averaged nearly 34 points per game in the Thunder’s first-round series against the Suns. And while he didn’t have that same level of offensive production on Tuesday night, his Oklahoma City teammates stepped up.

Chet Holmgren had 24 points and 12 rebounds, Ajay Mitchell matched SGA with 18 points and Jared McCain had 12 points through just 15 minutes of action.

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James put forth a solid individual effort in the Lakers’ Game 1 loss, recording a game-high 27 points on 12/17 shooting from the field and 3/6 shooting from behind the 3-point arc. No other Laker scored more than 20 points.

Game 2 will tipoff at 9:30 p.m. ET on Thursday.

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This story was originally published May 6, 2026 at 10:27 AM.