Thunder dominate Lakers 108-90 in Game 1 of Western Conference semifinals

Chet Holmgren delivered a standout performance with 24 points and 12 rebounds as the Oklahoma City Thunder cruised to a 108-90 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday night in Game 1 of their Western Conference semifinal series.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Ajay Mitchell each contributed 18 points for Oklahoma City, News.Az reports, citing AP.

The reigning champions improved to 5-0 in the playoffs, continuing their strong run despite being without 2025 All-Star Jalen Williams, who missed his third consecutive game due to a left hamstring injury.

The Thunder were efficient offensively, shooting 49.4% from the field and knocking down 13 of their 30 attempts from beyond the arc.

Game 2 of the series will also be held in Oklahoma City on Thursday.

The Lakers struggled offensively in the absence of scoring leader Luka Doncic, who has been sidelined for the past month with a left hamstring injury. LeBron James led Los Angeles with 27 points, while Rui Hachimura added 18. Austin Reaves, who averaged 23.3 points during the regular season, was limited to just eight points on 3-of-16 shooting.

Oklahoma City had already dominated the regular-season series, winning all four meetings by an average margin of 29.3 points, and Game 1 followed a similar pattern. The Thunder held the Lakers to 41.7% shooting and forced 17 turnovers.

Los Angeles got off to a quick start, opening the game with a 7-0 run, including five points from James. However, Oklahoma City overcame some early rust following an eight-day layoff and took a 31-26 lead by the end of the first quarter, even as James scored 12 in the period.

A highlight moment came when Holmgren finished a two-handed alley-oop dunk off a lob from Isaiah Hartenstein, extending the Thunder’s lead to 48-39. During the play, Lakers forward Jarred Vanderbilt injured the pinkie finger on his right hand, exited the game, and did not return.

The Thunder carried a 61-53 advantage into halftime, despite James putting up 16 points in the first half.

Mitchell, stepping into the starting lineup in place of Williams, made a corner three-pointer and drew a foul from Marcus Smart in the closing minute of the third quarter. He converted the free throw to give Oklahoma City an 84-72 lead heading into the final period.

Early in the fourth quarter, Alex Caruso added a fast-break dunk to push the lead to 88-73, and the Thunder stayed firmly in control the rest of the way.

News.Az 

By Nijat Babayev