The Los Angeles Lakers find themselves in a familiar, yet precarious, position—down 2-0 in their Western Conference semifinal series against the Oklahoma City Thunder. After a decisive 125-107 loss in Game 2, the team is searching for answers. While they've managed to keep Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in check, other cracks in their game plan have widened.

In Thursday's matchup, the Lakers committed 21 turnovers, managed just four fast-break points, and allowed the Thunder to shoot a blistering 55.6% from the field. Perhaps most frustrating, they surrendered 17 second-chance points, erasing any momentum from their defensive stops.

LeBron James, who posted 23 points and six assists, didn't mince words when identifying the two critical areas that need immediate attention: defensive rebounding and limiting second-chance opportunities.

"I think tonight we did a good job with our first defense," James said. "But we gotta clean glass and do a better job with that. We let Chet [Holmgren] get some offensive rebounds and some putbacks. Versus a team like that, you can't give up second-chance points. We did a great job in the Houston series as the series went on of getting better at that. We gotta do a good job of hitting and not allowing them to get second-chance points."

It's a stark contrast to the regular season, where the Thunder ranked just 23rd in second-chance points per game. In the playoffs, however, they've vaulted to first in that category and sit third in offensive rebounding percentage. Meanwhile, the Lakers are 14th out of 16 playoff teams in defensive rebounding percentage—a stat that spells trouble against a disciplined, championship-caliber opponent.

If the Lakers hope to avoid a sweep at the hands of the defending NBA champions, they'll need to tighten up on the boards, cut down on turnovers, and win the possession battle. As LeBron knows all too well, in the playoffs, second chances can be the difference between survival and an early exit.