Thunder rout Lakers 108-90 in Game 1 to take 1-0 West semifinals lead
Oklahoma City Thunder defeated the Los Angeles Lakers 108-90, taking a 1-0 series lead in the Western Conference semifinals.
Mehmet Şahinoğlu ·
The Oklahoma City Thunder opened their Western Conference semifinals series with a 108-90 win over the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday night, taking a 1-0 lead.
Asourceser a week-long break, Oklahoma City seized control asourceser halsourcesime and steadily pulled away. The Lakers kept it close early, helped by LeBron James’ 16 first-half points, but they struggled to match the Thunder’s pace and ball pressure in the final two quarters.
Los Angeles also suffered an injury scare when Jarred Vanderbilt dislocated his right pinky finger in the first half.
The Thunder’s separation came in the third quarter, when they put together a 7-0 run to stretch the margin, then carried that momentum into the fourth by forcing turnovers and converting them into points. The Lakers finished with 17 turnovers on the night.
James led the Lakers with 27 points and six assists, with Rui Hachimura adding 18 points.
For Oklahoma City, Chet Holmgren posted 24 points and 12 rebounds. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 18 points, while Ajay Mitchell also had 18. Jarred McCain added 12 points off the bench, all on three-pointers.