Lakers’ Deandre Ayton disappearing against Thunder
A rebound slipped away. Another went to the Oklahoma City Thunder following a foul by Deandre Ayton. When a third opportunity flew past Ayton’s casually outstretched arm, JJ Redick had seen enough.
The Lakers coach couldn’t even sub fast enough before Ayton’s frustrated two-handed shove at Oklahoma City guard Ajay Mitchell put a disappointing punctuation mark on a disastrous 19-second stretch for the Lakers’ starting center.
Ayton, a key part of the Lakers’ first-round victory, was largely absent in the Western Conference semifinals against the Oklahoma City Thunder. With the Lakers trailing 3-0 in the best-of-seven series after Saturday’s 131-108 loss at Crypto.com Arena, Ayton averaged 7.7 points per game and 9.3 rebounds against the Thunder.
Desperate to avoid the dreaded 3-0 hole, Ayton was held to 10 points and six rebounds and just one defensive board. He was held to 1-of-7 shooting in the second game for just three points, although he had 22 rebounds in the first two games.
After an eventful regular season, it appeared the former No. 1 overall pick was ready to live up to the hype. He was a quiet star in the Lakers’ first-round win over the Houston Rockets, often guarding All-Star Alperen Sengun one-on-one and dominating the paint. He averaged 11 points and 10.8 rebounds against the Rockets.
Oklahoma City coach Mark Daigneault took note. He called Ayton a “priority” for the Thunder’s defense in this series. Redick said Ayton raises the Lakers’ ceiling more than any other player.
The Lakers tried to trigger their X factor in the third quarter. They built a two-point halftime lead thanks to stellar shooting from Rui Hachimura (21 points) and Luke Kennard (18 points), but funneled the ball to Ayton after the break.
Lakers center Deandre Ayton dunks against the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 3 of the Western Conference semifinals Saturday at Crypto.com Arena.
(Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times)
Hachimura, who made all four of his three-point attempts in the first half, had a chance to make three on the Lakers’ first possession but instead passed to Ayton, who was fouled on the floor. Marcus Smart attempted a lob toward Ayton, but the center couldn’t recover the pass. The Lakers came back at him on each of the next two offensive possessions and he scored on both.
He scored six of his 10 points during a three-and-a-half minute stretch in the third quarter.
“DA is a heck of a player,” said Smart, one of Ayton’s closest teammates. “We all know that. We just want to get him on touches and get him the feels as early as possible, just to give them a different look. … All the guards are doing their thing. So we’re just trying to get the big guy involved.”
Ayton’s signature soft touch around the basket suddenly escaped him. After shooting 60.4% from the field in the first round and a career-best 67.1% during the regular season, Ayton is shooting 39.3% (11 of 28) against the Thunder. He made just three of 11 shots in the restricted area in the first two games.
The Lakers needed Ayton to thrive in this series against the dual lineup of Chet Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein. Some of Ayton’s shooting difficulties depend on the big 7-foot-1 Holmgren’s position on the court, Redick said. The Lakers tried to move Holmgren out of the paint more to free up Ayton.
Holmgren has always been a force in this series with 21.3 points and 10 rebounds per game. Hartenstein made 14 of 16 shots from the field in the three games.
Ayton’s replacement, Jaxson Hayes, was also incapacitated during Saturday’s blowout, failing to return to the game after just eight minutes and 30 seconds of mostly ineffective play. When Redick grew tired of Ayton in the fourth quarter after giving up two offensive rebounds and committing two fouls in 19 seconds, the coach opted for rookie Adou Thiero.
Thiero, a 22-year-old trying to make up for his lack of experience in pure motor skills and athleticism, had a team-high eight rebounds with four points in 13 minutes, 12 seconds.
But the Lakers gave up an offensive rebound on a free throw immediately after Thiero replaced Ayton. Hayes, sitting at the end of the bench with his arms crossed across his chest, stared straight ahead and shook his head slowly.
No NBA team has ever come back from a 3-0 deficit in a best-of-seven playoff series. Ayton has been quiet this series, but he has no plans to stay quiet much longer with the season on the line.
“We won’t give up,” Ayton said as he walked out of the arena. “We will be back in action on Monday.”
Staff writer Broderick Turner contributed to this report.
