Isaiah Hartenstein scored 10 points, grabbed nine rebounds and blocked two shots in 26 minutes as the Oklahoma City Thunder beat the Los Angeles Lakers 125-107 on Thursday night in Oklahoma City. The win gave the Thunder a 2-0 lead in the Western Conference semifinals and pushed them to 6-0 in the playoffs.
Chet Holmgren and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander each scored 22 points for Oklahoma City, which took control with a 32-15 third quarter and led 93-80 entering the fourth. Austin Reaves scored 31 points for the Lakers on 10-for-16 shooting, and LeBron James added 23.
The game turned when Oklahoma City’s pace and depth overwhelmed a Lakers team that was already short-handed. The Lakers played without Luka Doncic, who was sidelined with a strained hamstring, and without reserve forward Jarred Vanderbilt after he dislocated his right pinky in Game 1.
The Thunder also had to ride through a heated sequence involving Gilgeous-Alexander, who got tied up with Reaves and was called for his fourth foul. After review, the foul was upgraded to a flagrant 1 for Gilgeous-Alexander’s follow through, and Oklahoma City’s Alex Caruso was assessed a technical foul while the matter was sorted out.
The defending champions now head into Saturday’s Game 3 with complete control of the series and little margin left for the Lakers. Oklahoma City has answered every playoff test so far, and the next one comes with Los Angeles facing elimination pressure at home.
