The Los Angeles Lakers actually began with the right plan… Without Luka Doncic, LA had a brief two-point lead last night. But now, twice in a row, the Oklahoma City Thunder has come back from a deficit, small or large, and this time they registered a blowout 131-108 win. It all went south from the third frame onwards. The Purple and Gold were outscored by 25 points in the second half, their second-worst home playoff performance since moving to LA. And even though LeBron James spilled the beans on exactly what went wrong, holding everybody accountable, it isn’t a problem that cropped up out of nowhere.

LA’s struggles just after the halftime break have persisted since last year. When the season began in October, after the opener, head coach JJ Redick was very vocal, calling his troops a “terrible third-quarter team.” The head coach then stated that they needed to “rethink some things,” but despite a fat trade deadline passing, those problems persist and have cost them back-to-back playoff games.

“The third quarter, we start with that,” a dejected LeBron said to the media. “We didn’t have the energy, the effort, and they put a 30-plus point quarter on us. Kinda took care of the game right there, honestly. We had moments, obviously, in the first half that was really good for us. We did a good job of sharing the ball and knocking down shots. In that third quarter, we didn’t knock down shots. We didn’t defend or get stops.” This wasn’t the end of his assessment.

A media member subsequently reminded James that the Lakers were collectively -31 in the third frame. The 41-year-old’s answer remained cryptic, though, with him saying, “I don’t know, the numbers speak for itself.” OKC outscored the home team 33-20 in the third quarter and never looked back since. James had 19 points, eight assists, and six rebounds. Austin Reaves added 17 points. But more importantly, the duo added just 2 points in the third frame! Reaves went scoreless, Bron connected just 1 of 4, and the Lakers barely shot 8 of 22 from the field.

Meanwhile, the Thunder drilled 13 of 22 shots, and 5 of them were from beyond the arc. But OKC’s night at Crypto.com Arena was difficult as well. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander missed nine of his first 11 shots and had fewer double-teams than in the series’ first two games. SGA and Chet Holmgren combined for just 9 points, but the others crucially stepped up in the third quarter, something that rarely happens with LA.

Guard Ajay Mitchell dropped his playoff career high overall 24 points, and 9 of them came in the third. Similarly, Isaiah Joe, who had 12 points, scored half of them right after the break. They became the catalyst for the comeback, and James knew he had to acknowledge OKC’s depth. “They’re pretty damn good from top to bottom, they don’t let their foot off the gas,” the Lakers veteran said. “It’s not surprising. You’ve seen them over the years. They have a lot of bodies, and they have a lot of guys who can do multiple things on the floor. So, it helps to have that depth.” This was also a subtle jab at his own players…

The current NBA champions’ bench scored 40+ points, with Cason Wallace being the highest contributor with 16. Apart from scoring, the Thunder have a lot of wing defenders and size. Head coach Mark Daigneault had a good defensive system that kept LA on a string. OKC outrebounded the Lakers 43-37, had 12 steals over LA’s six, and forced Redick’s team into 16 turnovers, which they scored 30 points on. The defense stifled even James and Reaves, and the duo struggled from the field, combining for 12 of 32.

The Lakers’ bench failed to provide any spark, a problem that has persisted throughout the series. For Game 1, the Thunder outscored them 34-15, and in the second game, the gap was even wider, 48-20. Game 3 had a similar narrative, with Redick praising OKC. “They’re an incredible basketball team,” JJ said. “Third straight game we’re right there after 2 1/2 quarters. We tried different lineups, different coverages. Still lost those minutes. Again, we’ve got to be better, but I’m not giving up on the series.” When AR and James failed to inspire, the Purple and Gold bench scored 31 points, with Luke Kennard leading with 18.

However, that just isn’t enough. The Lakers simply do not have the depth to absorb Oklahoma City’s rotation. When the Thunder tighten their grip, LA has not found a reliable way to respond. Rui Hachimura scored only 21, and on days when this team doesn’t have a standout third scoring option, they need 3-4 players to reach 20 points. Jake LaRavia faced a DNP-CD, and Maxi Kleber, who played instead, didn’t work out at all. Deandre Ayton entered Game 3 after missing 12 of 13 field goals in the last six quarters. But he didn’t have a decent game either, nor did Jaxson Hayes.

Redick subtly hinted at it. “The big thing with them is their depth,” Redick said pregame. “I mean, Mark (Daigneault) talked about it the other night. [Nikola Topic] dealt with some health stuff, and their rookie is dealing with some health stuff now coming back from his offseason surgery. Literally, the other 13 guys are all top-seven or -eight rotation players in the NBA on any team. So they can just hit you with bodies as well. Just the nature of how they built that team.”

Reaves is well aware of these facts as well. “They’re a connected group. Their pieces fit basically perfectly,” he said to the media. “It’s tough to beat them. They’ve got a good coaching staff over that, that does a good job. Managing the game that his team needs to be managed. They’ve got really good players.”

As the Thunder make sure their pieces fit perfectly, the Lakers’ biggest piece seems missing. The status of Luka Doncic remains uncertain, as he has missed the Lakers’ 14th consecutive game since straining his hamstring on April 2 in Oklahoma City. The Lakers have their backs against the wall now, heading into a do-or-die Game 4 at home.