In a hard-fought NBA Western Conference semifinal, the Oklahoma City Thunder narrowly defeated the Los Angeles Lakers 115-110 on the Lakers’ home court. The victory gave the Thunder a 4-0 series sweep, sending them to the Western Conference Finals. They will now face the winner of the Spurs vs. Timberwolves series for a spot in the NBA Finals. The Lakers, on the other hand, suffered a crushing sweep, marking the end of their playoff run. Notably, the Thunder remain undefeated in the postseason, and this five-point margin was the smallest of any of their playoff games.
Despite the Lakers’ loss, one bright spot was the performance of reserve guard Luke Kennard. Kennard played 24 minutes and 50 seconds, shooting 2-for-5 from the field and 1-for-2 from three-point range, finishing with 5 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, and 1 steal. He committed only one foul and posted a team-high plus-minus of +15. While Kennard didn’t get enough touches or shot attempts to fully showcase his scoring and shooting ability, he was calm and efficient, not wasting opportunities. Although he is not known as a strong defender, he gave maximum effort on that end of the court. Even though he couldn’t shut down Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (who is nearly impossible to stop for anyone), the Lakers played significantly better when Kennard was on the floor, a fact reflected in his outstanding plus-minus.
During the regular season, Kennard appeared in 78 games for the Atlanta Hawks and the Lakers, averaging 21.6 minutes per game. His stats included 8.4 points, 2.3 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 0.7 steals, and 0.1 blocks, with 0.8 turnovers and 1.3 fouls per game. He shot 53.3% from the field, 47.8% from three-point range, and 91.3% from the free-throw line. In the 10 playoff games he played, his minutes jumped to 32.6 per game, and he produced 11.5 points, 3.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 0.9 steals, and 0.1 blocks, with 1.4 turnovers and 1.6 fouls. His shooting splits were 48.8% from the field, 47.4% from beyond the arc, and 82.6% from the stripe.
Kennard’s playoff performance has been commendable. He managed to increase his production with more playing time while maintaining solid shooting percentages, and his defensive efforts exceeded expectations. With his contract set to expire this summer, the Lakers face a decision on whether to retain him and at what price. Every team values a shooter of Kennard’s caliber, and keeping him would be an excellent outcome for Los Angeles.
