The Oklahoma City Thunder beat the Los Angeles Lakers 125-107 at Paycom Center on Thursday night to take a 2-0 lead in their Western Conference semi-final, with second-year forward Chet Holmgren posting 22 points on eleven shots and the Thunder pulling away in a third quarter they have owned all season.
Holmgren, who was held to single figures in Game 1, opened the scoring with a four-point play and finished with eight rebounds and three blocks. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander added 28 points and the Thunder shot 51 per cent from the floor against the Lakers' switch-heavy defence.
LeBron James led Los Angeles with 23 points, six assists and three steals on the night before what would have been his fortieth birthday week. He was joined in double figures by Austin Reaves, who had 18, and by Rui Hachimura, who came off the bench for fourteen.
The Thunder owned the league's best third-quarter net rating during the regular season, outscoring opponents by 10.9 points per 100 possessions. They lived up to that profile on Thursday by outscoring the Lakers 38-22 in the third, turning a six-point half-time lead into a twenty-point margin entering the fourth.
Lakers head coach JJ Redick was direct about the gap. "They are the better team in this series so far. We have to find an answer for what they are doing in the third quarter, and we have to find it inside two days," he said in his post-game press conference.
Game 3 tips off at Crypto.com Arena in downtown Los Angeles on Saturday night. The Thunder, who have homecourt advantage throughout the playoffs, would close out the series at home in a potential Game 5 next Wednesday if they continue to lead.