{"id":246691,"date":"2026-04-01T13:40:14","date_gmt":"2026-04-01T13:40:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/246691\/"},"modified":"2026-04-01T13:40:14","modified_gmt":"2026-04-01T13:40:14","slug":"after-sizzling-march-lakers-face-playoff-test-against-okc","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/246691\/","title":{"rendered":"After sizzling March, Lakers face playoff test against OKC"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The tests kept coming in the month of March for the Lakers<\/a> and they responded with the same resounding answer: We\u2019re ready.<\/p>\n

Yet, even though the Lakers posted a 15-2 record last month, even though they beat some of the best teams in the NBA, they still have another big test on the horizon that will further show whether they\u2019re ready.<\/p>\n

The Lakers will meet the defending NBA champion Thunder in Oklahoma City Thursday night, and it will be the test of all tests because OKC is just as hot as L.A. and owns the best record in the NBA.<\/p>\n

The Thunder have their own unstoppable force in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, last season\u2019s most valuable player who is in line to win it again this season, just as the Lakers have their own unstoppable force in Luka Doncic<\/a>, another MVP candidate this season<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"Lakers <\/p>\n

Los Angeles, CA – March 31: Lakers head coach JJ Redick coaches the team as the Lakers beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 127-113 at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles Tuesday, March 31, 2026. The Lakers clinched a playoff berth before their win over Cleveland. (Allen J. Schaben \/ Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n

(Allen J. Schaben\/Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n

Oklahoma City produced a 14-1 record in March. The Thunder have a 60-16 record, tops in the league.<\/p>\n

So for the Lakers, Thursday will be a measuring stick against the best the league has to offer.<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, 100%. I mean, I feel like we\u2019ve been in a couple playoff games here recently,\u201d Lakers forward Jake LaRavia<\/a> said. \u201cThis is obviously going to be another one, you know, best team in the West. So it\u2019s going to be a good test for us as we\u2019re nearing the playoffs. And, yeah, it\u2019s going to be the same thing. We have to be physical. We have to play defense collectively. We\u2019re gonna have to just play together as a team.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Lakers finished March with a win over the Cleveland Cavaliers<\/a> and have won 13 of their past 14 games.<\/p>\n

They had impressive victories over New York, Minnesota, Denver, at Houston twice, at Miami and at Orlando during March.<\/p>\n

Now they get the Thunder.<\/p>\n

\u201cObviously they are the defending champs,\u201d Lakers guard Austin Reaves<\/a> said. \u201cThey play at a high level. Obviously one of the best teams in the league, if not the best team, and we have an opportunity to go into OKC and battle them.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Thunder have one of the NBA\u2019s best defenses. OKC holds teams to 107.6 points per game, second-best in the league, and 43.5% shooting, the best in the NBA.<\/p>\n

Oklahoma City ranks fifth in the NBA in scoring (118.6) and fifth in shooting percentage (48.2).<\/p>\n

So, yes, the Lakers will have their hands full.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019re great on both sides of the ball,\u201d Lakers coach JJ Redick<\/a> said. \u201cThey\u2019re gonna make you work for things defensively because of how physical they are. And then, they just do a great job of driving. You really have to do your best to keep them outta the paint, have you to do your best to be square of the ball. \u2026 They just are really good at what they do. And they\u2019ve been doing that now for five years. And they know all the nuances. They know all the tricks. They all know the timing of everything. They\u2019re just a tough team to guard.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lakers\u2019 ultimate teammate \"Lakers <\/p>\n

Lakers guard Marcus Smart looks to pass after chasing down a loose ball under pressure from Kings guard Russell Westbrook at Crypto.com Arena on March 1.<\/p>\n

(Ronaldo Bolanos\/Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n

The Lakers all view Marcus Smart<\/a> as the ultimate teammate, a selfless member of their group and a true leader the team can count on for his willingness to compete on both sides of the basketball.<\/p>\n

Smart and Deandre Ayton<\/a> sit next to each other in the Lakers\u2019 locker room and that has been a good thing for Ayton, who relies on Smart for his wisdom and guidance.<\/p>\n

And even though Smart missed his fifth straight game Tuesday night against the Cavaliers with a right ankle contusion, Ayton and the Lakers still felt his presence.<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, I think there\u2019s a built-in level of respect and, in some ways, acceptance with Marcus because of how hard he competes and how much he gives every single time that he steps on the floor,\u201d Redick said. \u201cThat\u2019s an easy way to build trust with your teammates \u2014 … to play as hard as you possibly can every single night and do it with a competitive gusto. And that\u2019s what Smart does.<\/p>\n

\u201d I think for [Ayton,] he\u2019s just been a great calming voice for him throughout the year. … Marcus has been there, throughout halftimes, huddles, on the court. … It\u2019s really allowed D.A. to be more consistent as we\u2019ve gotten towards the end of the season.\u201d<\/p>\n

Smart has been recognized for being such a great teammate.<\/p>\n

The NBA announced on Tuesday that Smart is one of 12 finalists for the 2025-26 Twyman-Strokes Teammate of the Year Award. It\u2019s an honor that recognizes the player deemed the best teammate based on selfless play, on-and-off the court leadership as a mentor and role model to other NBA players and commitment and dedication to his team.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s like a brother\u2019s keeper,\u201d said Ayton, who had 18 points and nine rebounds against the Cavaliers. \u201cHe sees everything, just like [LeBron James] and [Austin Reaves] and Luka [Doncic]. But he\u2019s definitely going to bring it up. He reminds me a little bit of [former Suns teammate] Jae Crowder, that guy who is always going to be the one saying the right thing at the right time. Just our enforcer, our pit bull and he\u2019s the one that set the tone, really, and we all follow. He throw a punch, we all going to throw a punch. You got 1,000 punches, you know what I\u2019m saying? That\u2019s Marcus.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The tests kept coming in the month of March for the Lakers and they responded with the same…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":246692,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[67418,20294,110283,2134,110282,48,52,51,1415,3376,10572,47,50,49,1420,129,110281,110280,99818,1523,31143],"class_list":["post-246691","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-los-angeles","tag-cleveland-cavaliers","tag-deandre-ayton","tag-good-record","tag-good-team","tag-hot-oklahoma-city","tag-la","tag-la-headlines","tag-la-news","tag-lakers","tag-last-season","tag-league","tag-los-angeles","tag-los-angeles-headlines","tag-los-angeles-news","tag-marcus-smart","tag-nba","tag-okc","tag-sizzling-march","tag-smart","tag-test","tag-thunder"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/246691","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=246691"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/246691\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/246692"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=246691"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=246691"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=246691"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}