The Oklahoma City Thunder came back late in an NBA playoff thriller to defeat the Los Angeles Lakers 125-107 and take a commanding 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven Western Conference semifinal series.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the current NBA Most Valuable Player and this season’s finalist, scored 22 points and the Thunder capitalized on the Lakers’ 21 turnovers Thursday to hand LeBron James a loss in the 300th game of his playoff career.
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Elsewhere, Detroit, the top seed in the Eastern Conference, improved to 2-0 with a 107-97 home victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers.
In Oklahoma City, Gilgeous-Alexander was again below his best, but had plenty of support.
Chet Holmgren had 22 points and nine rebounds, Ajay Mitchell added 20 points, Jared McCain scored 18 points off the bench and the Thunder withstood a 31-point performance from Austin Reeves.
James, the first player to play in 300 postseason games, had 23 points and six assists, and the Lakers led by five points early in the third quarter.
But even with league-leading scorer Luka Doncic still out with an injury and Gilgeous-Alexander sitting on the bench for significant time in foul trouble, the Lakers couldn’t hang on.
Oklahoma City took control with a 22-5 run and will look to keep the pressure on when the series moves to Los Angeles for Games 3 and 4 on Saturday and Monday.
“We have to be the aggressors,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “Especially in the first half, I felt like they played with more power, attacked harder, made quicker decisions and played with more urgency.
“If you’re careful about that, you’ll be heading in the right direction.”
It was a painful contest, with both teams frustrated with the referees. Gilgeous-Alexander was whistled for a flagrant foul, and a foul by Reaves late in the game sent him and James sprawled under the basket.
Lakers coach J.J. Redick challenged the referees, saying the Thunder “have some guys who foul every possession.”
However, he added, “We didn’t lose because of the referee.”
Cunning comes in handy in high-stakes situations
For Detroit, Cade Cunningham led the Pistons with 12 of his 25 points and 10 assists in the fourth quarter.
They set the tone defensively early, but had to fight back in the second half after the Cavaliers fought back to take a two-point lead early in the fourth quarter.
“We just want to win the game,” Cunningham said of the dominant fourth-quarter performance. “There were a lot of tough games towards the end…The ball is in my hands and I have to play with it.
“The pressure and the moment, the high stakes… all of that keeps me going.”
Cleveland’s Donovan Mitchell scored a game-high 31 points. Jarrett Allen chipped in 22, but James Harden was held to just 10 on 3-of-13 shooting, and his four turnovers included a costly score in the final minute.
The Cavaliers have a mountain to climb as they head home for Game 3 on Saturday and Game 4 on Monday.
The Pistons, who secured the top seed in the East with the league’s third-place record, needed to come back from a 3-1 deficit to beat the Orlando Magic in the first round.
In this series, they focused on maintaining home court advantage, and in Game 2, Detroit once again showed off its lockdown defense, taking a 54-43 lead at halftime.
The Cavaliers fought back in the third quarter and took the lead in the opening minutes of the fourth on Evan Mobley’s dunk, giving them their first lead since the opening minute.
But they couldn’t keep it going. Duncan Robinson’s 3-pointer put Detroit back in the lead and they never trailed again.
Cunningham said the Pistons need “more energy” in Cleveland.
“They’re a tough team to beat at home,” he said.
