Marcus Smart said on May 7 that he takes responsibility for the Los Angeles Lakers’ offensive struggles in their Game 1 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Lakers scored only 90 points on 41.2% shooting and lost by 18 points, facing a Thunder defense considered among the best in the league.
Smart pushed back against concerns about the team’s ability to score without Luka Doncic, saying, “I wouldn’t say that’s the main concern. Because we can score the ball, we’re going to score the ball, just gotta do it. Rui missed some shots that he usually makes. I missed some shots I usually make. Bron, AR, I didn’t play the best game, I know. Defensively it was OK, but offensively 4-for-15, 2-for-8, that’s unacceptable. I only had two turnovers which is good, but I gotta be better.”
He continued: “It starts with me. I take full accountability for it. I know I’m not the reason we lost, but I feel like I coulda gave more and I gotta be better. But we’re gonna make shots, it’s just a matter of time and we just gotta continue to make sure we shoot em.”
Head coach JJ Redick also commented on creating good looks despite poor shooting results while LeBron James noted confidence in their shot selection as well.
The Lakers have experienced inconsistency with outside shooting throughout this season but found success late in games when they were able to hit from distance consistently—a key factor for opening up opportunities inside for LeBron James and Austin Reaves.
Austin Reaves also acknowledged his own need for improvement after scoring eight points on three-of-sixteen shooting in Game 1.