Thunder 108, Lakers 90: The Day After Report
OKC leads 1-0 in series
PHOTOS⚡THUNDER | NBA Play-by-Play | CourtSketch Box Score
Postgame Bolts
- Game 1 is the first time LeBron James played a playoff game in OKC since Game 2 of the 2012 NBA Finals.
- Every OG Thunder fan remembers that one for the infamous LeBron non-call on Kevin Durant in the closing moments with OKC down 2 points.
- Lakers fans famously travel well since they're the most popular team in the NBA.
- Not much Lakers yellow/gold in Loud City in Game 1 though.
- OKC's first bucket in 4 of 5 playoff games has been a Lu Dort 3-pointer.
- Shai Gilgeous-Alexander checked off his nightly impossible and-1 bucket in the 1st quarter. It was one of three total free throws for SGA on the night.
- This game included a rare double 7-footer dribble handoff 3-pointer.
- Hartenstein set the screen, dropped the dime, and Chet splashed the 3.
- The double bigs decided on an encore performance moments later, but this time it was a center-to-center alley-oop slam.
- Chet Holmgren scored 14 points in the first 10 minutes.
- That reaction from JDub, Ajay Mitchell, Aaron Wiggins, and Nikola Topic to Jarred Vanderbilt's finger injury was all you needed to see to know that it was much worse than the "dislocated finger" the injury report claimed it to be.
- Refs called a goaltend against the Lakers. So it is possible, Wolves fans.
- Ajay Mitchell hit a 4-pointer with 12 seconds to go in the 3rd quarter to give OKC a 12-point lead going into the final frame.
- Felt like the biggest bucket of the game. Mitchell continues to be excellent in JDub's absence.
- I didn't tweet about that Jaylin Williams fastbreak fall down out of respect to JWill.
- There's 3-point specialists, defensive specialists. Alex Caruso is a playoff specialist.
- Jared McCain splashed back-to-back 3-pointers in a 27-second span in the 4th quarter. Loud City went bonkers. Maybe the biggest crowd pop of the night.
- Jared McCain went 4-5 from 3 in 15 minutes of Game 1.
- 76ers bench went 4-12 from 3 in 107 minutes of Game 1.
- Chet Holmgren in Game 1:
24 PTS
9-17 FG
2-2 3PT
4-4 FT
12 REB
1 STL
3 BLK
0 goal tends - SGA did not score 20+ points for the first time since Game 3 in Minnesota last playoffs. He scored 18 points on 8-15 shooting. He had scored 20+ points in 13 straight playoff games.
- That does not affect his NBA record streak. It's a regular season-only mark.
- Lakers swarmed SGA with doubles all night. He had a season-high 7 turnovers. To Shai's credit, he made the right pass each time and let his teammates play 4 on 3. SGA said in postgame that he was too loose with the ball and chalked it up to being rusty.
- Not a good sign for the Lakers that SGA had his first game under 20 points in a year and had his highest turnover night of the year... and OKC won by 18.
One Key Takeaway
Supporter access
Read on by becoming a Supporter
Daily Thunder is reader-supported and independent. Supporters unlock early and exclusive posts while helping keep DT free of clickbait, pop-ups, and gambling influence.
