Thunder dominate LeBron James, Lakers to win Game 1
Key takeaways
- A game-high 27 points by Le Bron James were not enough for the LA Lakers to upset Oklahoma City in their Western Conference semifinal series.
- Chet Holmgren led the Thunder with 24 points and 12 rebounds while reigning NBA Most Valuable Player Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Ajay Mitchell added 18 points apiece.
- “We were a little choppy, a little rusty, but offensively we just stuck with it,” Gilgeous-Alexander said, saluting a Thunder defence that restricted the Lakers to their lowest score in a playoff game since 2021.
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A game-high 27 points by Le Bron James were not enough for the LA Lakers to upset Oklahoma City in their Western Conference semifinal series.
xwhatsapp-strokecopylinkgoogle Add Al Jazeera on Googleinfo Le Bron James, right, and the Los Angeles Lakers were denied a surprise Game 1 upset against the defending NBA champions Oklahoma City Thunder in their second round playoff series opener in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, US, on May 5, 2026 [Garrett Ellwood/Getty Images via AFP]By AFPPublished On 6 May 20266 May 2026The Oklahoma City Thunder overpowered the LeBron James-led Los Angeles Lakers 108-90 to grab a 1-0 lead in their NBA Western Conference semifinal series.
A balanced offensive performance and steely defensive display from the reigning NBA champions were enough to seal victory over the depleted Lakers, who started brightly but trailed for the final three quarters, on Tuesday.