The Oklahoma City Thunder remain unbeaten in the 2026 NBA Playoffs, continuing their postseason surge with a 108-90 win over the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday.
Despite franchise star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander being held to a subpar offensive outing with 18 points, the reigning champions leaned on Chet Holmgren, who delivered 24 points and 12 rebounds to draw first blood in the series.
“They stuck with it. We’re a little choppy, a little rusty tonight offensively. They’re obviously sending a lot of bodies at me, and those guys stepped into their place confidently, and that’s all you can ask for,” Gilgeous-Alexander said postgame.
Thunder Remain Flawless as Role Players Step Up
After sweeping the Phoenix Suns in the first round, Oklahoma City continued its Western Conference dominance, sealing its fifth straight playoff win with a strong second-half push.
Still playing without All-Star Jalen Williams, who is recovering from a hamstring injury, the Thunder relied on backup guards Ajay Mitchell and Jared McCain, who scored 18 and 12 points respectively.
Defensively, the Thunder overwhelmed the Lakers, limiting them to just 33% shooting from beyond the arc.
Lakers Take Another Injury Blow, While Austin Reaves Struggles
The injury bug continues to plague the Lakers, as they lost defensive specialist Jarred Vanderbilt to a dislocated finger suffered while attempting to block a Holmgren alley-oop.
To make matters worse, returning guard Austin Reaves had one of the worst offensive games of his career, finishing with just 8 points on a dismal 3-for-16 shooting from the field.
LeBron James paced the Lakers in the loss with 27 points, 4 rebounds, and 6 assists, while Rui Hachimura added 18.
The Thunder will look to stay perfect, while the Lakers aim to even the series in Game 2 on Friday.
