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 Sport 3 of the second spherical on Saturday evening.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had 23 factors and 9 assists for the Thunder, who coolly improved to 7-0 — each in these playoffs general, and of their seven video games this season in opposition to LeBron James and the Lakers. Oklahoma Metropolis is the NBA’s sixth defending champion to start out 7-0 within the following postseason after three wins over short-handed Los Angeles by a mixed 59 factors.
Sport 3 was remarkably just like Sport 2 in lots of respects: The Lakers once more needed to struggle desperately simply to maintain up with the champs into the third quarter, just for the Thunder to run away with their common 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.
“I feel (the primary half) wasn’t our greatest half, and within the locker room we simply talked about it and knew that we needed to alter and be higher,” mentioned Mitchell, who continued his postseason emergence by scoring no less than 14 factors for the sixth consecutive sport. “I feel we did a fantastic job popping out of the half.”
Sport 4 is Monday evening 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 rivalry with the champs.
“We had moments within the first half that have been actually good for us,” James mentioned. “Within the third quarter, we did not knock down photographs, we did not defend or get stops and allowed them to take us out of the sport.”
Gilgeous-Alexander had his highest-scoring sport of the sequence regardless of lacking 9 of his first 11 photographs amid one other concerted defensive effort by the Lakers on the NBA MVP, albeit with fewer double-teams than within the sequence’ first two video games.
“These clearly have not been my greatest performances,” Gilgeous-Alexander mentioned. “However I feel I have been capable of assist the group win, and that is most essential. If the remainder of the playoff run or the remainder of my profession seemed like what it seemed just like the previous few video games, I would be OK with it, as a result of we gained video games.”
Luke Kennard added 18 factors for the Lakers, who’ve misplaced 5 of their final six video games since halfway by means of the primary spherical in opposition to Houston.
“They’re an unimaginable basketball group,” Lakers coach JJ Redick mentioned. “Third straight sport we’re proper there after 2 1/2 quarters. We tried totally different lineups, totally different coverages. Nonetheless misplaced these minutes. Once more, we have got to be higher, however I am not giving up on the sequence. We’ll go attempt to win on Monday. We’ll attempt to lengthen the sequence.”
NBA scoring champion Luka Doncic missed his 14th consecutive sport for the Lakers since straining his hamstring April 2 in Oklahoma Metropolis. He isn’t regarded as near getting back from an harm that usually requires two months of restoration.
Apart from Gilgeous-Alexander, the Thunder all started Sport 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.
