Los Angeles Lakers guard Austin Reaves defended Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander early in the third quarter of Thursday’s Game 2 matchup. As the two players battled for position, the reigning league MVP hooked Reaves’ arm and wrenched it awkwardly.
Reaves went down in obvious pain, and the officials went to the monitor to review the play for a hostile act. Gilgeous-Alexander was issued a Flagrant 1 foul.
Gilgeous-Alexander was asked about the foul after the Thunder’s 125-107 win, which saw the defending NBA champions take a 2-0 lead as the series heads to Los Angeles.
"I felt like he was hugged around me. I just tried to get loose, our arms got caught, unfortunate. Yeah, I didn’t mean to hurt him, obviously, but it’s the way it goes. I got a flagrant, it is what it is, gotta move on,” Gilgeous-Alexander said.
Gilgeous-Alexander played 28 minutes in Game 2 as he dealt with foul trouble. He finished the game with 22 points, tied with Chet Holmgren for the team lead. Second-year guard Ajay Mitchell also chipped in with 20 points of his own.
Despite the injury scare after Gilgeous-Alexander’s flagrant foul, Reaves was able to play the remainder of the game. The Los Angeles guard finished the contest with a game-high 31 points, bouncing back from a difficult shooting performance in Game 1.
Game 3 of this second-round playoff series between the Thunder and Lakers will tipoff at 8:30 p.m. ET on Saturday.
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