LeBron James Defends Austin Reaves After Performance in Lakers' Loss to Thunder

The Los Angeles Lakers hung around with the Oklahoma City Thunder for much of Tuesday night's Game 1, but Oklahoma City pulled away late in the third quarter and into the fourth to secure a 108–90 win.

At one point in the second half, the Lakers trimmed the deficit to four, but it quickly ballooned back to double digits, and L.A. couldn't generate enough offense to keep pace.

A big part of that struggle came from Austin Reaves, who - as the team's leading scorer without Luka Doncic - finished with just eight points on 3-of-16 shooting.

After the game, however, LeBron James, who led all scorers with 27 points, defended Reaves and pointed to his recent return from injury.

"He was out a month. We know he’s gonna make shots and make plays, but that’s tough when you were out a month towards the end of the season," James said. "Obviously we’re trying to fast-track him getting back on the floor and doing the things he was doing before the injury or whatever the case may be.

"But he was out a month, so rightfully so if he has some games where he’s missing shots or whatever the case may be. But his presence alone helps us, no matter what."

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The Lakers' offensive struggles have been evident, but according to James, there's a clear reason for it - the absence of Luka Doncic, who averaged over 33 points per game this season.

"The offensive issues coming from? We have a guy that averaged 37 a game. There's the issue right there," James said. "When you're playing the defending champions and missing a guy that gives you 34 [points], eight [rebounds], and nine [assists] - that's a major piece."

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This story was originally published May 6, 2026 at 7:22 AM.