Lakers drop second NBA Cup game with loss to visiting Thunder

Lakers forward LeBron James gets past Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, right, during the first half Friday night at Crypto.com Arena. The logic inside some corners of the Lakers locker room a season ago was that the best path to the NBA Finals wouldn’t run through Denver, but instead it would go through Oklahoma City — the team tied with the Nuggets for the West’s best record.

Denver was too big, too physical and had, the logic said, dominated the Lakers. And the Thunder had not.

The Lakers had won three in a row against Oklahoma City, staring down their youth, speed and athleticism with wisdom and force. It gave them an edge, and, internally, the belief that if they met, they were the…