The Thunder, coming off a full week off, cruised to a crushing 108-90 victory over LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday night. That gave them an early 1-0 lead in their Western Conference semifinal series.
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They have now won six straight postseason games since their NBA Finals victory last season after sweeping the Phoenix Suns in the first round, tying a franchise record.
The Thunder pulls away in the second half
While the Lakers got off to a fast start and James scored 12 points in the first quarter, the Thunder finished the period on a 9-2 run to take a five-point lead and complete control of the game.
James held the Lakers at halftime. He made 7 of 11 field goals and scored 16 points in the first 24 minutes to keep the game within single digits. The Lakers also lost Jarred Vanderbilt to a finger injury in the first half after he hit the backboard hard trying to block Chet Holmgren. Vanderbilt instantly doubled over in pain and the Thunder bench grimaced significantly after seeing his hand. According to ESPN’s Shams Charania, Vanderbilt suffered a complete dislocation of his right pinky finger.
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The Lakers briefly brought the game within four points early in the third, but that was as close as they got. The Thunder scored seven straight points, capped by a huge 3-pointer by Lu Dort and a quick steal and layup by Cason Wallace, to take the game back. Ajay Mitchell then hit a 3-pointer in the corner and fouled out on the way down to convert a four-point play near the end of the period to give the Thunder a 12-point lead entering the fourth.
Oklahoma City also continued to press, forcing two quick turnovers just 90 seconds into the fourth quarter. The latter turned into an easy dunk by Alex Caruso, who slammed the ball against his forehead in celebration when the Lakers called a timeout.
That spark was more than enough to carry the Thunder the rest of the way to the 18-point victory. The momentum the Lakers had early on simply never returned.
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James finished with 24 points and six assists for the Lakers. Rui Hachimura added 18 points and DeAndre Ayton finished with 10 points and 11 rebounds. The Lakers committed 17 turnovers in the loss.
Austin Reaves also had a rough offensive night, which didn’t make things any easier for Los Angeles. He scored only eight points and was 3 of 16 from the field.
Holmgren led the way for Oklahoma City with 24 points and 12 rebounds. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 18 points after hitting 8 of 15 field goals, although he had seven of the team’s 14 turnovers. Mitchell also scored 18 points and Jarred McCain added 12 off the bench, all from the 3-point line.
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It’s only Game 1, but the Thunder appear to be very capable of handling the Lakers in this series and making a run at defending their title. If Vanderbilt is out for an extended period and Luka Dončić is unable to return to this series after his long-term hamstring injury, the Lakers may be in trouble.