Oklahoma City took Game 1 of its second-round playoff series against the Los Angeles Lakers, riding a 61-53 halftime lead to an 18-point victory. Marcus Smart did plenty to keep the Lakers in range, but the Thunder controlled the game long enough to make the gap stand up.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander finished with six turnovers, his highest total in a game since the 2025 NBA Finals Game 6, but Oklahoma City still got 24 points and a double-double from Chet Holmgren. Gilgeous-Alexander and Ajay Mitchell added 18 points each, giving the defending champions enough offense to pull away after halftime.
LeBron James kept Los Angeles afloat with 27 points on 12-of-17 shooting. Smart finished with 12 points, seven assists and four boards, but he shot 4-of-15 from the field and 2-of-8 from deep. Even so, he did an excellent job on Gilgeous-Alexander at the other end, and that kind of matchup work was part of why the Lakers were able to stay connected for stretches.
The bigger problem for Los Angeles was that Austin Reaves never found his rhythm. He shot 3-of-16 and finished with eight points, six assists and five boards in 36 minutes, leaving the Lakers short on secondary scoring behind James. The absence of Luka Dončić because of a left hamstring injury also shaped the night, while Reaves was still getting his feet under him after missing a majority of the first-round series against Houston because of injury.
Smart had been on a heater entering the second round, and that made his mixed box score in Game 1 more notable than it might otherwise have been. But Oklahoma City still won with enough size, shot-making and pressure to turn a competitive game into a comfortable one. Game 2 is set for Thursday at 9:30 p.m. ET, and the Lakers now need a cleaner offensive night to avoid falling further behind early in the series.
