LOS ANGELES – Ajay Mitchell had profession playoff highs of 24 factors and 10 assists, and the Oklahoma Metropolis Thunder prolonged their unbeaten playoff run to the brink of one other Western Convention finals with a 131-108 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers in Recreation 3 of the second spherical on Saturday night time.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had 23 factors and 9 assists for the Thunder, who coolly improved to 7-0 — each in these playoffs overall, and of their seven video games this season towards LeBron James and the Lakers. Oklahoma Metropolis is the NBA’s sixth defending champion to begin 7-0 within the following postseason after three wins over short-handed Los Angeles by a mixed 59 factors.
Recreation 3 was remarkably similar to Game 2 in lots of respects: The Lakers once more needed to combat desperately simply to maintain up with the champs into the third quarter, just for the Thunder to run away with their normal cruel effectivity when LA lastly faltered. Chet Holmgren had 18 factors and 9 rebounds for Oklahoma Metropolis, which outscored the Lakers 33-20 within the third quarter and wasn’t threatened in any respect down the stretch.
Recreation 4 is Monday night time in Los Angeles.
James had 19 factors, eight assists and 6 rebounds, whereas Austin Reaves had 17 factors and 9 assists. However each stars struggled from the sector to a mixed 12 for 32, and 21 factors from Rui Hachimura weren’t sufficient to maintain LA in competition with the champs.
Luke Kennard added 18 factors for the Lakers, who’ve misplaced 5 of their final six video games since halfway by the primary spherical towards Houston.
NBA scoring champion Luka Doncic missed his 14th consecutive sport for the Lakers since straining his hamstring April 2 in Oklahoma Metropolis. He’s not considered near getting back from an harm that usually requires two months of restoration.
Gilgeous-Alexander had his highest-scoring sport of the sequence regardless of lacking 9 of his first 11 pictures amid one other concerted defensive effort by the Lakers on the NBA MVP.
Mitchell continued his playoff emergence for Oklahoma Metropolis, with the Belgian guard scoring no less than 14 factors in his sixth consecutive sport whereas going 10 for 17.
Aside from Gilgeous-Alexander, the Thunder all started Recreation 3 in one other taking pictures groove. Los Angeles nonetheless surged to a small halftime lead behind 16 factors from Hachimura.
Oklahoma Metropolis erased that lead with a methodical surge out of halftime, going up by 13 within the third quarter.
Third-leading scorer Jalen Williams missed his fifth straight sport for the Thunder with a strained hamstring.
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