The Oklahoma City Thunder overpowered LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers 108-90 in the opener of their NBA Western Conference semi-final series.
A balanced offensive performance and steely defensive display from the reigning champions proved too much for the depleted Lakers, who started brightly but trailed for the final three quarters.
Chet Holmgren led the Thunder with 24 points and 12 rebounds while 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 defense that restricted the Lakers to their lowest score in a playoff game since 2021.
“We just try to make people play outside their comfort zone, as simple as that,” Gilgeous-Alexander said.
Oklahoma City swept the Lakers 4-0 in the regular season, winning each game by an average margin of 29.3 points, and underscoring the task ahead for Los Angeles.
James, who had defied his 41 years to lead the Lakers to a surprise 4-2 upset of the Houston Rockets in the first round, led Los Angeles with 27 points. Rui Hachimura added 18 points with Marcus Smart contributing 12 and Deandre Ayton 10.
Elsewhere, Cade Cunningham scored 23 points as the Detroit Pistons held off the Cleveland Cavaliers 111-101 in their Eastern Conference semi-final series opener.
The top-seeded Pistons looked to be cruising to a comfortable win after dominating in the first half and taking a 17-point lead in the third period.
But a spirited Cleveland rally saw the Cavaliers close to within four points before Detroit pulled clear again in the fourth quarter.
Donovan Mitchell led Cleveland with 23 points, including four three-pointers, while James Harden added 22 points to go with eight rebounds and seven assists.
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
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