Oklahoma City opened its Western Conference semifinal series by beating the Los Angeles Lakers 108-90 on Tuesday at Paycom Center, a result that gave the Thunder a 1-0 lead and once again left Los Angeles chasing the game from the start. The Lakers trailed for the final three quarters as the reigning NBA champions controlled the pace and the paint.
Chet Holmgren led Oklahoma City with 24 points and 12 rebounds, while Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Ajay Mitchell each added 18 points. LeBron James scored a game-high 27 points for the Lakers and shot 12-for-17, with Rui Hachimura scoring 18, Marcus Smart 12 and Deandre Ayton 10 in support. James’ output could not cover for the rest of the night, and Oklahoma City held Los Angeles to its lowest playoff total since 2021.
The result fit a familiar pattern. Oklahoma City finished a 4-0 regular-season sweep of the Lakers and won those four games by an average of 29.3 points, a margin that made Tuesday’s opener look less like an upset than a continuation. The Lakers entered the series as the fourth seed after upsetting the Houston Rockets 4-2 in the first round, but they have not yet found an answer for the Thunder’s size, pressure and shot-making.
Gilgeous-Alexander said the Thunder were “a little choppy, a little rusty,” but kept their offensive approach steady, and he said the team tries to make opponents operate outside their comfort zone and take away what they want to do. That was the difference again on Tuesday. Los Angeles had moments from James, Hachimura and others, but the possessions that mattered kept breaking toward Oklahoma City.
Lakers coach JJ Redick said the mistakes hurt his team and that the margin for error against the world champs is thin. He added that the Lakers played hard but needed better execution and attention to detail, and said he expects the group to clean things up and be better. They will need that fast, because the series has already moved into a spot where the Thunder look in control and the Lakers are searching for a way to change the script.
Tuesday’s other playoff game also went the way of the home team, with Cade Cunningham scoring 23 points as the Detroit Pistons beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 111-101 in Game 1 of their Eastern Conference semifinal series. But the night in Oklahoma City belonged to the Thunder, who backed up their regular-season dominance with another convincing win when it mattered most.
