Game Recap: Thunder 125, Lakers 107
The Thunder defeated the Lakers, 125-107 to take a 2-0 series lead.
The Los Angeles Lakers led the Oklahoma City Thunder at halftime and had a five-point lead early in the third quarter.
It looked like the Lakers were playing well enough to make it anyone’s game in the fourth quarter. That didn’t happen because the Thunder did what they have done all season – control the third quarter.
The Thunder owned the league’s best third-quarter net rating during the regular season, outscoring opponents by 10.9 points per 100 possessions.
By the time the third quarter ended, the Thunder were up 13 points – and on their way to a 125-107 victory over the Lakers in Game 2 of their Western Conference semifinal series Thursday.
Already the NBA’s leader in career playoff appearances, Lakers star LeBron James became the first player in league history to play in 300 playoff games. James, who took a couple of falls and favored his right hip area and right wrist, finished with 23 points, six assists and three steals.
Oklahoma City owns a 2-0 lead as the series moves to Los Angeles for the next two games. Game 3 is Saturday (8:30 ET, ABC).
1. Thunder guards excel
After scoring 18 points in Game 1, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who owns the NBA record with 140 consecutive regular-season games with at least 20 points, navigated foul trouble and contributed with 22 points. The Lakers continue to send double teams at Gilgeous-Alexander and try to force him to pass.
The Thunder have the depth and talent to withstand atypical games from Gilgeous-Alexander, the 2024-25 Kia MVP, 2025 Finals MVP and a finalist for regular-season MVP in 2025-26.
Ajay Mitchell, who moved into the starting lineup with Jalen Williams (strained left hamstring) out, had 20 points and six assists, and Jared McCain scored 18 points in 18 minutes.
Mitchell was the 38th pick in the second round of the 2024 NBA Draft and played in just 12 of Oklahoma City’s 23 playoff games as a rookie last season. He’s now a vital part of the rotation.
McCain, the No. 16 pick in the 2024 Draft, wasn’t on Oklahoma City’s roster at the start of the season. The Thunder acquired him from Philadelphia in a February trade deadline deal. After 12 points off the bench in Game 1, he scored a playoff-career high in Game 2, going 7-for-11 from the field and 4-for-5 on 3-pointers. His performance was part of the Thunder bench that outscored the Lakers’ reserves 48-20.
2. Holmgren comes up big again
Thunder center-forward Chet Holmgren made his first two 3-point shots and scored 22 points on 11 shots. It wasn’t just his scoring. He had nine rebounds, four steals, three assists and two blocks.
In the game-changing third quarter with Gilgeous-Alexander limited to two minutes because of foul trouble, Holmgren had eight points, two rebounds and two steals.
“I thought he was unbelievable,” said Thunder coach Mark Daigneault. “He’s the ultimate winner anyways, but he was the ultimate winner tonight. He played almost the whole third quarter and was a huge part of that run.
“His offensive rebounding and defensive rebounding – his nose was in the fight down there. He went and got the ball. He had timely ones for us offensively late. Showed off his skill with his shooting. There’s nothing he can’t do, and when the lights are on, he’s at his best.”
Teammate Isaiah Hartenstein had 10 points, nine rebounds, two steals and two blocks, and Hartenstein and Holmgren, who had 24 points and 12 rebounds in the series opener, combined for seven of Oklahoma City’s nine offensive rebounds, leading to a 17-6 advantage in second-chance points.
“They’ve killed us in both games – every time they’ve gotten an offensive rebound, they’ve scored,” said Lakers coach JJ Redick.
3. Reaves finds scoring, Hachimura continues hot shooting
Lakers guard Austin Reaves bounced back from a rough shooting performance in Game 1. Playing in his fourth game since sustaining strained oblique muscles against Oklahoma City on April 2, Reaves scored a game-high 31 points on 10-for-16 shooting from the field and 3-for-6 on 3-pointers.
“He did a good job touching the paint and those touch shots were there. Got some good looks from 3,” Redick said. “He played a solid game.”
Los Angeles forward Rui Hachimura scored 16 points and made 4-for-7 3-pointers and is shooting 57.1% on 3-pointers in the playoffs (24-for-42), including 7-for-13 against the Thunder.
4. Turnovers a problem for Lakers again
The Lakers shot 50% from the field and 37.9% on 3-pointers. But turnovers, combined with Oklahoma City’s offensive rebounds, made it difficult for the Lakers to stay close and make it a tight game in the final minutes.
Los Angeles committed 21 turnovers, leading to 26 Thunder points. That’s Oklahoma City’s style – pressuring ball-handlers and converting turnovers into points. During the regular season, the Thunder were No. 2 in opponent turnovers per game and No. 1 in points off turnovers per game.
“You can start seeing some trends here,” Redick said. “We probably need to go back to the two keys we had against Houston (in the first round) which is take care of the ball and box out.”
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Jeff Zillgitt has covered the NBA since 2008. You can email him at jzillgitt@nba.com, find his archive here and follow him on X.
