Lakers player grades: L.A. loses big again to the Thunder

Five days after they were destroyed 139-96 by the Oklahoma City Thunder on the road, the Los Angeles Lakers hosted the Thunder at Crypto.com Arena. Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves suffered hamstring and oblique strains, respectively, during Thursday's game, and they were just two of several key players who were out of action on Tuesday.

LeBron James, Marcus Smart and Jaxson Hayes also didn't play for Los Angeles, making this game, to use a baseball term, essentially a bullpen game for the team. To paraphrase late great Lakers play-by-play man Chick Hearn, one could've called the outcome of this contest with braille before it even started.

L.A. actually managed to be fairly competitive for the first one and a half quarters of this contest. But after it tied the game at 42 with 7:26 left in the second quarter, the Thunder went on a 23-4 run and took a 65-47 lead at halftime. From there, it was a rout, as the defending NBA champions prevailed by a final score of 123-87.

The Lakers got outclassed in a number of categories. They allowed the Thunder to shoot 51.2% from 3-point range while making 43.8% of their overall shot attempts and 34.6% of their 3-point tries. Even worse, Los Angeles made only 14 of its 31 attempts from the free throw line. It also got outrebounded by eight and committed 17 turnovers.

This loss puts L.A. one game behind the Denver Nuggets for third place in the Western Conference. It will visit the Golden State Warriors on Thursday before returning home to face the Phoenix Suns on Friday.

Rui Hachimura: B-plus

Hachimura has reminded people during the last two games that he's an excellent complementary scoring option who can get buckets one-on-one. On Tuesday, he made seven of his 10 shot attempts, with only one of his attempts coming from 3-point range. He did a good job of being patient when he had the basketball and working to get to his spots and gain separation before taking shots.

In 26 minutes, he finished with 15 points, five rebounds, one assist and one block.

Jake LaRavia: D-plus/C-minus

LaRavia's extended shooting slump continues, and he almost couldn't hit anything on Tuesday. He made just one of his seven shot attempts and missed all four of his 3-point attempts, and in 20 minutes, he mustered just two points.

He did, however, make a nice effort in other areas, as he often does. LaRavia came up with seven rebounds, and he also contributed two steals, one assist and one block.

Deandre Ayton: D

Ayton seemed to be floating or coasting in this game, and he never made any real imprint. In 23 minutes, he made one of his four shot attempts, giving him three points, and he had only three rebounds.

It's games like this that cause Lakers fans to turn on Ayton and somewhat blame him for the team's shortcomings, although that criticism is a bit hyperbolic.

Drew Timme: B

Timme showed his deft touch in this game. He got 27 minutes of playing time and went 4-of-9 from the field and 2-of-4 from downtown, giving him 11 points, to go along with three rebounds and two assists, although he did have three turnovers.

Luke Kennard: B-plus/A-minus

Kennard was forced to play point guard in this game, and it is a position that doesn't come naturally to him. But as he did in Sunday's 134-128 loss to the Dallas Mavericks, he proved that he can at least masquerade as a point guard for a period of time.

He dished off nine assists, and even more impressively, he had no turnovers in 23 minutes. Offensively, the Lakers could've used more scoring punch from him, but he did make four of his seven shot attempts to put up 10 points, although he didn't hit a single 3-pointer. Kennard also chipped in two rebounds and one steal.

Adou Thiero: B-plus

One of the few bright spots in this game for the Lakers was the play of Thiero, the rookie forward who has gotten very few reps and has spent a good portion of the season on the injured list.

He was on the court for 21 minutes, and he played with a high level of energy and effort on both ends of the floor. He made some good contests on the defensive end, and offensively, he attacked the rim. He made two of his four shot attempts, which included a 3-pointer, and his activity resulted in him getting 10 free throw attempts, although he made just five of those foul shots.

With 4:19 left in the second quarter, Thiero got elbowed in the face by Chet Holmgren. A defensive foul was initially called, but the Lakers challenged the call, and it was changed to an offensive foul on Holmgren. Thiero had to head back to the locker room as a result of that elbow to his forehead, but he was back on the court in the second half.

Thiero ended up with 10 points, four rebounds, two assists and one steal. He has plenty of work to do and a good number of things to refine, but his potential as a 3-and-D or two-way forward is clearly there.

Maxi Kleber: D

In 13 minutes, Kleber scored two points and had one rebound and one assist.

Dalton Knecht: C-minus

Knecht got a rare dose of significant playing time in this game. He was on the court for 19 minutes and made two of his six field-goal attempts, including one 3-pointer, giving him five points, to go along with four rebounds. However, he did commit three turnovers.

Nick Smith Jr.: B-plus

Smith played the entire fourth quarter after not getting on the court during the first three periods, and he looked smooth. He made four of his six shot attempts and one of his two 3-point tries to score 11 points, and he also added two assists.

Kobe Bufkin: B

Bufkin went just 2-of-6 from the field, but he made both of his 3-point attempts and three of his four free throw attempts. In 18 minutes, the 2023 first-round draft pick scored nine points and also had three rebounds and four assists.

Bronny James: D

The younger James once again showed that he's not deserving, at least for now, of being a rotation player in the big leagues. He got 23 minutes of playing time and shot 2-of-9 from the field while missing all five of his attempts from 3-point land. He finished with four points, two rebounds, two assists and one steal, and while he looks a lot more comfortable on the floor than he did early last season as a rookie, the consistent shot-making and overall production just haven't been there.

Chris Mañon: C-plus

Mañon, an undrafted rookie guard who played at Vanderbilt University last season, got 12 minutes of playing time on Tuesday and posted two points, two rebounds, one assist and one steal.

Jarred Vanderbilt: Incomplete

Vanderbilt played five minutes early on and recorded three points, two rebounds, one assist and one steal. He was taken out of the game early in the second quarter, and at that point, he was seen getting into a heated interaction with the Lakers' coaching staff.

He didn't reenter the game afterward, but head coach JJ Redick downplayed the incident afterward, saying it was "nothing personal with him" and a "normal interaction."

This article originally appeared on LeBron Wire: Lakers player grades: L.A. loses big again to the Thunder