Three things Lakers need to do vs. Thunder

To do this, the Lakers will have to stay disciplined with their on-ball and off-ball defense, shunning risky swipes in favor of solid footwork and not giving the referees a reason to instinctively blow their whistles. Specifically, the Lakers need to be cautious when defending Jalen Williams, Chet Holmgren and Ajay Mitchell, three of OKC's best players when it comes to drawing fouls.

And then, of course, there's an extra dose of caution when it comes to the court general who's averaging 12.3 free throw attempts this postseason: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. That guy is a problem in more ways than one.

Make Shai Gilgeous-Alexander work on defense

Gilgeous-Alexander is favored to win his second consecutive MVP award, and for good reason. SGA is the centerpiece of the Thunder's offense, controlling the pace of the game with his proficiency in drawing fouls and coming through in the clutch on a consistent basis.

For the past two years, NBA teams have fixated on this question: How do you stop SGA? In this series, the Lakers will have to make him work on the defensive end. Historically, the Thunder's offensive rating has declined when Gilgeous-Alexander isn't on the floor. As such, backcourt stalwarts like Reaves and Marcus Smart will have to make SGA expend even more energy on D. Better still, they need to bait him into committing fouls and force Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault to take him out of the game.

Limit the Thunder's offensive rebounds

Over in the frontcourt, OKC hurts opponents by controlling the offensive glass. In this year's playoffs, they're No. 2 in offensive rebounds and second-chance points per game. That's 17.5 points added to the Thunder's tally on a nightly basis, and the Lakers would be giving themselves a better chance to win if they limit that source of production.

Now is the time for Deandre Ayton to earn his "DominAyton" moniker as the Lakers contend with bruising bigs like Holmgren, Isaiah Hartenstein and Jaylin Williams. In the Rockets series, the 7-foot center averaged 7.3 defensive rebounds per game, but he'll have to be even more prolific with the boards to keep the Thunder from getting their second servings.