For the second straight game, the Oklahoma City Thunder went on a scoring onslaught in the fourth quarter to take out the Los Angeles Lakers, 125-107, in Game 2 and take a 2-0 lead in their second-round series in the playoffs.
The crowd at Paycom Center got loud as the Thunder put the finishing touches on the Lakers, who looked distraught in the last period.
Chet Holmgren was the biggest headache again for the Purple and Gold, finishing with 22 points, nine rebounds, three assists, four steals, and two blocks. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had 22 points, two rebounds, and two assists.
Gilgeous-Alexander's production has been pedestrian compared to his MVP-worthy numbers in the regular season, but coach Mark Daigneault stressed that there is no reason to doubt the talented guard despite being limited by the Lakers.
“How he's responding is how he always responds: The guy is unflappable. He's the centerpiece of game plans. They're doubling him as aggressively and consistently as we've seen,” said Daigneault, as quoted by the Daily Thunder's Brandon Rahbar.
“The way he's moving it out of there has helped our ability to go out there and play when he's in foul trouble.”
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SGA had 18 points on 8-of-15 shooting, two rebounds, six assists, and two blocks in Game 1.
He sat out for extended stretches in Game 2, but the defending champions still did not skip a beat, underscoring their talent, depth, and cohesion.
Daigneault, who praised LeBron James before the contest, has the Thunder humming, and sweeping the Lakers is very feasible.
Oklahoma City has now beaten Los Angeles six consecutive times.
For the second straight game, the Oklahoma City Thunder went on a scoring onslaught in the fourth quarter to take out the Los Angeles Lakers, 125-107, in Game 2 and take a 2-0 lead in their second-round series in the playoffs. The crowd at Paycom Center got loud as the Thunder put the finishing touches on the Lakers, who looked distraught in the last period.