JJ Redick drops 5-word admission on Lakers’ consistent struggles vs. Thunder

JJ Redick probably won’t get a lot of sleep in the next few hours after the Los Angeles Lakers absorbed another lopsided loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder, 108-90, on Tuesday at Paycom Center in Game 1 of their second-round series in the playoffs.

The Lakers have now dropped five straight games to the Thunder, dating back to the regular season, wherein they lost by an average margin of nearly 30 points.

Oklahoma City limited Los Angeles to 41.7% shooting from the field. The Thunder forced the Lakers to 17 turnovers, which they converted to 20 points.

Redick looked dazed in the postgame conference. Still, he had the clarity to admit a harsh reality regarding the Lakers’ continued woes versus the Thunder.

“We sucked against this team,” said Redick in the video posted by the OC Register’s Benjamin Royer.

What did JJ Redick take away from those regular season OKC games?

“We sucked against this team.” pic.twitter.com/yylLOXALYF

— Benjamin Royer (@thebenroyer) May 5, 2026

The Lakers did not suck in the first half, with LeBron James leading the attack. They were only down by eight points at the break, 61-53. The Thunder, however, pushed harder on defense in the third quarter to slowly take control and disrupt the Lakers’ flow.

The Purple and Gold looked hapless, with James the only player being able to generate offense, with Austin Reaves having a miserable evening and Deandre Ayton disappearing in the second half.

James had 27 points, four rebounds, and six assists, while Reaves, who was blasted by a former NFL player, only scored eight points on 3-of-16 shooting. Ayton had 10 points and 12 rebounds, but was held scoreless in the second half.

Redick will have to turn his brain inside out to find ways to solve the Thunder.

Game 2 is on Thursday.

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