The Thunder had a explosive second half, with Ajay Mitchell scoring 24 points, and defeated LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers 131-108.
Published May 10, 2026
Ajay Mitchell scored 18 of his 24 points in the second half as the Oklahoma City Thunder dominated the final 24 minutes en route to a 131-108 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 3 of their Western Conference second-round series.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had 23 points and nine assists as the defending champion Thunder took a commanding 3-0 series lead in Saturday’s playoff semifinal.
Chet Holmgren had 18 points and nine rebounds, Kayson Wallace had 16 points off the bench and Mitchell had 10 assists.
“The confidence I got from my teammates and coaching staff from day one was amazing,” Mitchell said. “That’s the key.”
The Thunder trailed by two points at halftime, but outscored Los Angeles in the second half, 74-49.
For the Lakers, Rui Hachimura made five 3-pointers and scored a team-high 21 points, and LeBron James added 19 points, eight assists, and six rebounds. For Los Angeles, Luke Kennard had 18 points off the bench and Austin Reeves had 17 points and nine assists.
The Thunder could complete the sweep with Game 4 in Los Angeles on Monday. No team in NBA history has ever come from behind to win a playoff series from a 3-0 deficit.
“Of course,” Gilgeous-Alexander said of wanting to complete the sweep. “You never want to waste an opportunity to win a basketball game. We just have to do what we did in the first three games.”
With this loss, the Lakers are now 0-7 against Oklahoma City this season, with an average point differential of 25.1 points.
“They’re very good from top to bottom and they don’t let up on the gas,” James said.
The Lakers are once again without NBA leading scorer Luka Doncic. Oklahoma is playing without its second-best player, Jaylen Williams. Both players are sidelined with hamstring injuries.
Oklahoma City shot 56.4 percent from the field, including 17 of 38 from 3-point range. Isaiah Hartenstein had 12 points and nine rebounds, Isaiah Joe had 12 points on four 3-pointers, and Luguentz Dort had 10 points. Wallace also made four 3-pointers for the Thunder.
The Lakers completed 46.9 percent of their attempts and 14-of-30 from beyond the arc. Marcus Smart and Deandre Ayton each added 10 points for Los Angeles, which committed 17 turnovers, leading to Oklahoma City’s 30 points.
“MVP (Gilgeous-Alexander) was 7 of 20 tonight and they won our third straight game,” Lakers coach JJ Redick said. “They’re a great basketball team.”
