JJ Redick gives Lakers brutal reality check vs. Thunder: ‘They don’t foul’

The Los Angeles Lakers took care of business in the first round of the playoffs against the Houston Rockets, and their reward is a date with the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder in the second round.

Slaying the Thunder will be no easy task, and the Lakers aren’t likely to be bailed out by many foul calls, according to head coach J.J. Redick.

In the regular season, the Thunder were whistled for 19.0 personal fouls per game, ranking 22nd in the NBA. Only a handful of teams were called for fewer personal fouls.

That could be a problem for the Lakers, who relied on free throws for a fair amount of their offense in the regular season. They took 26.8 free throws per game, the second-most in the NBA.

L.A. is going to have to get its buckets the hard way in this series, a task that will be made tougher by the absence of star guard Luka Doncic, who has already been ruled out for Game 1 but could return at some point. The Lakers were able to win their first-round series without the 33.5 points, 7.7 rebounds and 8.3 assists per game that Doncic provided in the regular season.

Until he returns, fellow stars LeBron James and Austin Reaves will have their hands full. Reaves, of course, is fresh off an injury of his own and may still be adjusting to playoff basketball after a long layoff. He appeared in two games against the Rockets in the first round.

The Lakers are heavy underdogs against the Thunder, who are expected by many to win another championship this season. In the first round, they had no trouble getting past the Phoenix Suns, taking care of business in a four-game sweep.

Game 1 between the Lakers and Thunder will take place on Tuesday in OKC. With the Thunder owning home-court advantage in the best-of-seven series, the Lakers will need to steal at least one game on the road in order to advance to the Western Conference Finals.