Lakers lost Game 1 by 18. It might only get worse vs. Thunder

Right before Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals between the Los Angeles Lakers and Oklahoma City Thunder tipped off on Tuesday, May 5, Lakers head coach JJ Redick took a seat on the bench, closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

He's going to need to take a few more throughout this series. djcc.club

Because even though the Lakers led for most of the first quarter, even though they hung around for the first three quarters and were a foul call and a missed buzzer-beater away from going into halftime trailing by just five points, it just wasn't enough to keep it all from unraveling in a 108-90 loss.

Redick's gameplan was solid. LeBron James had 27 points, six assists and four rebounds. Four of the Lakers' five starters scored in double figures. None of it was enough.

Not against this Thunder squad. Redick said it himself when he told reporters pregame that "we've sucked against this team."

Sure, Austin Reaves had a very, very rough night. And LA as a whole struggled from beyond the arc, shooting just 33% from long range. But it was clear that the Lakers were simply bested and worn down by a well-rounded team. They were outscored 39-25 over the final 18 minutes. They had no answer for Chet Holmgren and their offense looked completely stumped by OKC's physical defense by the final frame, which translated to easy buckets far too often as the Lakers allowed 20 points off of their 18 turnovers.

"Once you make a couple mental mistakes, it seems like they take advantage of every one of them," Reaves told reporters.

It all underscores one simple sentiment that has reverberated throughout NBA discussion circles: the Lakers just don't have a chance of winning this series. Not without Luka Doncic.

NBA GAME 1 WINNERS, LOSERS: Thunder overpower Lakers; Pistons prevail

"When you play against great defense, you have to have guys that can attract multiple defenders on the floor at all times," James told reporters. "... When you play against the world champions, having a guy that averages 34, 35, that's special."

But even if Doncic — whose rehab from a Grade 2 right hamstring strain that's kept him sidelined since April 2 has been slow going — returns at some point this series, how effective will he really be? That's not to say he won't play well, because he more than likely will. Doncic has historically played some of his best ball in the playoffs, even in series that his teams have been overmatched in (see: 2020 and 2021 against the Clippers, 2024 NBA Finals against the Celtics), and that has a good chance of being the case in this series.

The Lakers did many things right in Game 1, like holding Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to a season-low 18 points and just three free throws and forced him to turn the ball over seven times, the most he's had since last season's Finals. They had open shots that just didn't drop. The offense was hot to start the game and good enough to claw back into it in stretches, but they weren't able to keep a consistent effort on both ends of the floor throughout the entire game. Each time the Lakers made a run, OKC responded with a bigger one. The Thunder showed just how much deeper their roster is, as shown by their bench outscoring LA, 34-15.

"We had some gameplan breakdowns," James told reporters. "They're gonna test you. They're gonna see how many times they can make you have gameplan breakdowns, and we had a few. Almost too many versus a team like this."

There's plenty of areas for the Lakers to clean up for Game 2 and beyond. Reaves can play better and Doncic can come back before it's too late, but there's a decent chance almost none of it might matter beyond a game or two.

That's just how much of a gap there is between them and a championship team.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Lakers outclassed by Thunder in Game 1

When Harry Kane, Michael Olise and Luis Diaz are bearing down on goal, there is usually only one outcome.

Just ask Atalanta, Real Madrid, Paris St-Germain, and practically any team in Germany, and they will testify to the quality of Europe's most feared front line.

Since linking up for the first time in August, Kane, Diaz and Olise have scored more than 100 times across all competitions for Bayern.

They are only the fifth trio to reach a ton since the turn of the century.

It is one of the main reasons why the German champions are looking to add the DFB Pokal (German Cup) and Champions League to the Bundesliga title they won last month.

But where do they rank among the great three-man forward lines of recent times?

Ahead of Wednesday's Champions League semi-final second leg against Paris St-Germain - with the German side trailing 5-4 after a remarkable first leg - BBC Sport takes a closer look at the numbers.

Guardiola's Barcelona shaped forward lines

Three-man forward lines have been a staple tactic throughout the history of football.

But they have arguably never been as popular as they have over the last 15 or so years.

It is a resurgence that is largely down to Barcelona's success under Pep Guardiola between 2008 and 2012.

Guardiola helped Barcelona win two Champions Leagues and three La Liga titles with a dominant possession-based style.

It was a revolutionary system that relied on both the midfield and front line - operating with a recognised number nine - to be fluid in and out of possession.

Nine‑time Ballon d'Or winner Lionel Messi was usually the most central attacker, though he often dropped deep to either drag defenders out of position and create space for his team-mates, or to create a numerical advantage in midfield.

Either way, the end result was a fluid style of football that was practically impossible to stop and resulted in Barcelona claiming 14 trophies during Guardiola's time at the helm.

Since then, three-man forward lines have become fairly prominent in Europe, with the likes of Real Madrid and PSG deploying similar tactics in the years that followed.

In the Premier League, however, the forward line that resembled Guardiola's side most closely was Liverpool's Champions League and Premier League-winning trio of Sadio Mane, Roberto Firmino and Mohamed Salah.

During their five seasons together at Anfield, Firmino was deployed as the Reds' central attacker and, similar to Messi, was responsible for dropping between the lines, linking play with the midfielders and ultimately creating space for Mane and Salah to run in behind.

The trio is widely regarded as one of the greatest forward lines in the history of English football, having helped Jurgen Klopp's side win a haul of major trophies.

The numbers behind recent years

Fast forward to the present day and it is Bayern Munich who are the envy of Europe.

By signing Kane, Olise and Diaz in consecutive summers since 2023, the Bavarians have slowly but carefully constructed the most lethal front line on the continent.

After each forward scored in last week's Champions League semi-final first leg thriller against PSG, Bayern have become the first team in German history to have a front three reach a century of goals in a single season.

The Bundesliga champions have come close to that figure before, with Gerd Muller, Uli Hoeness and Willi Hoffman finding the back of the net a total of 99 times in the 1972-73 season.

In fact, a 100-goal-plus front three is extremely rare.

Since 2013-14, only five times have a front three hit the 100-goal mark, with three of them coming from the same trio.

Barcelona's Messi, Suarez and Neymar are out on their own in terms of goals and what a front three can produce.

In three consecutive seasons from 2014-15 to 2016-17, they hit 122, 131 and 111 goals.

But let's not forget the famous trio at Real Madrid - Gareth Bale, Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema netted 100 times in 2014-15.

Liverpool's brilliant Salah, Firmino and Mane came close to the three-figure mark in 2017-18 but finished the season with 91 goals.

And now football has a 100-goal trio once again with Bayern's Olise, Kane and Diaz.

How does it compare to PSG?

PSG were once blessed with a front three consisting of Messi, Neymar and Kylian Mbappe.

But it is now with Ousmane Dembele, Desire Doue and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia where the Parisians have struck gold.

The front three picked by Luis Enrique in the biggest game in the club's history - the 2025 Champions League final - are not as prolific as Bayern's, but create chaos for opposition defenders with their fluidity and creativity.

But despite being PSG's chosen trio, it was Dembele (33), Goncalo Ramos (18) and Bradley Barcola (21) who were their highest scoring last term with 72.

Doue (15), Kvaratskhelia (seven) and Dembele (33) netted 55 times between them.

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This season, though, Doue (12), Kvaratskhelia (18) and Dembele (18) have struck 48 times to Olise, Kane and Diaz's 101.

Bayern's front three has a clear structure, with Diaz setting up on the left, Olise off the right and Kane down the middle - allowing for reliable week-by-week output.

Luis Enrique's set-up is all about fluidity. PSG forwards rotate positions and have a strong tendency to turn up on the biggest of occasions.

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Sunrisers Hyderabad have a chance to go atop IPL 2026 standings when they welcome Punjab Kings to Hyderabad on Wednesday.

Their five-match winning streak came to an end on the weekend as they suffered a seven-wicket loss to Kolkata Knight Riders. But SRH are just a point off the league leaders PBKS.

Meanwhile, after a unbeaten start of six games, PBKS are suddenly at risk of losing their top spot on the standings table after defeats against Rajasthan Royals and Gujarat Titans.

In the earlier meeting between the two sides this season, PBKS chased down 219 to defeat SRH by six wickets in a high-scoring contest.

In this article, The Sporting News takes you through all the details related to how and where to watch the IPL 2026 match between Sunrisers Hyderabad and Punjab Kings.

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Where to watch SRH vs PBKS: Live stream, TV channel

Here's how to watch the Sunrisers Hyderabad vs. Punjab Kings IPL 2026 game in India:

• TV channel: Star Sports Network channels
• Live stream: JioHotstar app and website

IPL 2026 matches are available for live TV broadcast across Star Sports Network channels in India. Fans can also watch the live stream on the JioHotstar app and website.

MORE: Visit Cricket News for all the latest cricket coverage and opinion

What time does SRH vs PBKS match kick off?

The IPL 2026 match between Sunrisers Hyderabad and Punjab Kings will be played at Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad, Telangana.

The match will start at 7:30 p.m. IST on Wednesday, May 6, 2026.

MORE: IPL 2026 playoffs qualification scenarios

SRH vs PBKS lineups, team news

SRH could see the likely return of Nitish Kumar Reddy, strengthening the XI.

The explosive top order of Abhishek Sharma, Travis Head and Ishan Kishan remains intact, but middle-order inconsistency and a struggling bowling attack might need a look in.

Sunrisers Hyderabad predicted XI: Abhishek Sharma, Travis Head, Ishan Kishan (wk), Heinrich Klaasen, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Salil Arora, Aniket Verma, Pat Cummins (c), Eshan Malinga, Shivang Kumar, Sakib Hussain.

As for PBKS, Nehal Wadhera’s form might be under scrutiny, and the bowling unit led by Arshdeep Singh needs to improve.

Their aggressive top order, led by Prabhsimran Singh, although a strength struggled in the GT loss, while Shreyas Iyer continues to anchor the middle order.

Punjab Kings predicted XI: Prabhsimran Singh (wk), Priyansh Arya, Cooper Connolly, Shreyas Iyer (c), Marcus Stoinis, Suryansh Shedge, Nehal Wadhera, Marco Jansen, Xavier Bartlett, Arshdeep Singh, Yuzvendra Chahal.

SRH vs PBKS: Betting odds

Punjab Kings are the favourites to win this IPL 2026 match at 1.81 on Dafa, while the odds for Sunrisers Hyderabad to win are 2.00.

* Odds are correct at time of publish but subject to change.

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• Elliot Anderson is Man City’s number one midfield target for the summer transfer window
• England international is understood to have chosen the Etihad Stadium as next destination
• Man United hold interest but have come to terms that Anderson would prefer Man City move

Officials at Old Trafford have made peace with the fact that Nottingham Forest midfielder Elliot Anderson prefers a move to Manchester City, as per a new report.

Anderson is one of the hottest prospects in the transfer market after a breakthrough few seasons at the City Ground since he left boyhood club Newcastle United in 2024.

The 23-year-old is Manchester City‘s leading transfer target for the summer as director of football Hugo Viana plans for life beyond departing club captain Bernardo Silva, who will leave the club as a free agent in June.

Manchester City receive massive Elliot Anderson boost after fresh Manchester United stance

Nottingham Forest have placed a massive £100 million price-tag on Anderson, who is believed to have selected the Etihad Stadium as his preferred destination amid interest from an array of clubs in England and abroad.

Report: Man United accept defeat in Anderson pursuit

As reported by Mail Sport journalists Nathan Salt and Chris Wheeler, officials at Old Trafford have come to terms with the fact that any deal for Anderson would require a transfer fee exceeding £100 million.

Furthermore, there is a belief at Manchester United that the Nottingham Forest midfielder is likely to choose the chance to join forces with Pep Guardiola at the Etihad Stadium instead.

Manchester United are also interested in Newcastle United’s Sandro Tonali, whose future at St. James’ Park is uncertain after a disappointing season in Tyneside.

With City seemingly having a clear run at Anderson, Nottingham Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis will be fearful that the Blues would have greater leverage in negotiating a fee for the England international.

How soon can Anderson join Man City?

Executives at the Etihad Stadium are cognisant that Forest are in the midst of a battle for Premier League survival and are thereby holding off on direct talks with City Ground counterparts for the time-being.

Manchester City stance on Elliot Anderson deal as Enzo Fernandez possibility emerges

Manchester City are negotiating a new contract with Ballon d’Or winning midfielder Rodri and the outcome of those talks with the Spain international – who has interest from Real Madrid as he approaches the final year of his current deal – will also dictate the direction that City’s transfer plans take this summer.

Anderson is a near guaranteed starter for England at the upcoming FIFA World Cup across the Atlantic and City would like to make as much progress in closing a deal for the 23-year-old as they can before the Newcastle-born star jets off with Thomas Tuchel and co.

City remain in pursuit of a domestic treble in the final weeks of the season but their hopes of a seventh Premier League title under Guardiola took a drastic hit on Monday night as Everton held Guardiola’s men to a thrilling 3-3 draw at the Hill Dickinson Stadium.

Miguel Herrera will return to the sidelines in Liga MX, and he will do so with the return of a historic club in Mexican soccer: Atlante.

"El Piojo" is beginning to shape his team, and during TUDN’s broadcast of the Clásico Capitalino he dropped a bombshell about his interest in an América player.

"Let them loan him to me," said the coach as Ramón Juárez was entering the field, pointing out how much he likes his style of play, and given the few opportunities he gets with the Coapa side, he explained that he would be a starter on his team.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.