Game ID: 42500221
Los Angeles Lakers @ Oklahoma City Thunder
Tuesday, May 5, 2026 at 8:30 PM ET
Paycom Center, Oklahoma City, OK
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Final
OKC 31 30 23 24 108LAL 26 27 19 18 90
LAL @ OKC ScoutingLAL @ OKC Scouting
Welcome to the scouting desk. The coffee is cold, the film is play-by-play, and somebody has to explain what happened.
Every game has a hinge — a stretch where it was decided, usually while everyone was watching something else. Start where the evidence lives: the Lineups' face-offs say which five actually won their minutes; the Possessions ledger says who ran ahead of the night's own pace; the Shot Chart says where the points really came from, which is rarely where the highlights were. When all three agree, that is the story. When they don't — that is why this desk has a chair.
OKC availability going into 4/19 · 6 days' restOUT Gilgeous-Alexande missed 2 since 4/10, returns tonight: 29 min (87% of 34)
OUT Holmgren missed 2 since 4/10, returns tonight: 25 min (85% of 29)
OUT Jal. Williams missed 2 since 4/10, returns tonight: 29 min (107% of 27)
OUT Mitchell missed 2 since 4/10, returns tonight: 22 min (83% of 26)
OUT Wallace missed 2 since 4/10, returns tonight: 21 min (78% of 26)
OUT Hartenstein missed 2 since 4/10, returns tonight: 20 min (82% of 24)
OUT Joe missed 2 since 4/10, returns tonight: 20 min (102% of 20)
OUT Caruso missed 2 since 4/10, returns tonight: 13 min (69% of 19)
OUT J. Williams missed 2 since 4/10, returns tonight: 10 min (51% of 19)
BACK Sandfort back 4/10 after 6, 28 min since (178% of 16)
NEW Carlson 12 to 24 min over the last 4
OKC availability going into 4/22 · 2 days' restBACK Gilgeous-Alexande back 4/19 after 2, 29 min since (87% of 34)
BACK Holmgren back 4/19 after 2, 25 min since (85% of 29)
BACK Jal. Williams back 4/19 after 2, 29 min since (107% of 27)
BACK Mitchell back 4/19 after 2, 22 min since (83% of 26)
BACK Wallace back 4/19 after 2, 21 min since (78% of 26)
BACK Hartenstein back 4/19 after 2, 20 min since (82% of 24)
BACK Joe back 4/19 after 2, 20 min since (102% of 20)
BACK Caruso back 4/19 after 2, 13 min since (69% of 19)
BACK J. Williams back 4/19 after 2, 10 min since (51% of 19)
BACK Sandfort back 4/10 after 6, 28 min since (178% of 16)
NEW Carlson 12 to 29 min over the last 3
OKC availability going into 4/25 · 2 days' restBACK Gilgeous-Alexande back 4/19 after 2, 34 min since (100% of 34)
BACK Holmgren back 4/19 after 2, 29 min since (98% of 29)
BACK Jal. Williams back 4/19 after 2, 26 min since (96% of 27)
BACK Mitchell back 4/19 after 2, 25 min since (97% of 26)
BACK Wallace back 4/19 after 2, 21 min since (80% of 26)
BACK Hartenstein back 4/19 after 2, 21 min since (87% of 24)
BACK Joe back 4/19 after 2, 17 min since (89% of 20)
BACK Caruso back 4/19 after 2, 18 min since (95% of 19)
BACK J. Williams back 4/19 after 2, 10 min since (55% of 19)
BACK Sandfort back 4/10 after 6, 28 min since (178% of 16)
NEW K. Williams 14 to 19 min over the last 4
OKC availability going into 4/27 · 1 day's restBACK Gilgeous-Alexande back 4/19 after 2, 35 min since (104% of 34)
BACK Holmgren back 4/19 after 2, 29 min since (99% of 29)
BACK Jal. Williams back 4/19 after 2, 26 min since (96% of 27)
BACK Mitchell back 4/19 after 2, 28 min since (106% of 26)
BACK Wallace back 4/19 after 2, 23 min since (86% of 26)
BACK Hartenstein back 4/19 after 2, 22 min since (90% of 24)
BACK Joe back 4/19 after 2, 17 min since (89% of 20)
BACK Caruso back 4/19 after 2, 20 min since (102% of 19)
BACK J. Williams back 4/19 after 2, 14 min since (73% of 19)
BACK Sandfort back 4/10 after 6, 28 min since (178% of 16)
OKC availability going into 5/05 · 7 days' restOUT Jal. Williams missed 2 since 4/25, out tonight
BACK Gilgeous-Alexande back 4/19 after 2, 36 min since (106% of 34)
BACK Holmgren back 4/19 after 2, 30 min since (104% of 29)
BACK Mitchell back 4/19 after 2, 29 min since (111% of 26)
BACK Wallace back 4/19 after 2, 23 min since (86% of 26)
BACK Hartenstein back 4/19 after 2, 24 min since (98% of 24)
BACK Joe back 4/19 after 2, 14 min since (71% of 20)
BACK Caruso back 4/19 after 2, 21 min since (109% of 19)
BACK J. Williams back 4/19 after 2, 13 min since (67% of 19)
OKC availability going into 5/07 · 1 day's restOUT Jal. Williams missed 3 since 4/25, out tonight
BACK Gilgeous-Alexande back 4/19 after 2, 36 min since (106% of 34)
BACK Holmgren back 4/19 after 2, 30 min since (104% of 29)
BACK Mitchell back 4/19 after 2, 29 min since (110% of 26)
BACK Wallace back 4/19 after 2, 22 min since (83% of 26)
BACK Hartenstein back 4/19 after 2, 24 min since (99% of 24)
BACK Joe back 4/19 after 2, 13 min since (68% of 20)
BACK Caruso back 4/19 after 2, 21 min since (108% of 19)
BACK J. Williams back 4/19 after 2, 14 min since (75% of 19)
OKC availability going into 5/09 · 1 day's restOUT Jal. Williams missed 4 since 4/25, out tonight
OKC availability going into 5/11 · 1 day's restOUT Jal. Williams missed 5 since 4/25, out tonight
OKC availability going into 5/18 · 6 days' restOUT Jal. Williams missed 6 since 4/25, returns tonight: 37 min (137% of 27)
LAL availability going into 4/24 · 2 days' restOUT Reaves missed 7 since 4/05, out tonight
OUT Smith Jr. missed 2 since 4/18, returns tonight: 0 min (0% of 11)
OUT Kleber missed 2 since 4/18, out tonight
BACK Smart back 4/10 after 9, 28 min since (97% of 29)
BACK Hayes back 4/18 after 4, 17 min since (95% of 18)
NEW Hachimura 30 to 35 min over the last 5
NEW Kennard 25 to 30 min over the last 5
LAL availability going into 4/26 · 1 day's restOUT Reaves missed 8 since 4/05, out tonight
OUT Kleber missed 3 since 4/18, returns tonight: 7 min (66% of 10)
BACK Smart back 4/10 after 9, 31 min since (104% of 29)
BACK Hayes back 4/18 after 4, 18 min since (100% of 18)
BACK Smith Jr. back 4/24 after 2, 0 min since (0% of 11)
NEW Hachimura 30 to 38 min over the last 5
NEW Kennard 25 to 33 min over the last 5
LAL availability going into 4/29 · 2 days' restOUT Reaves missed 9 since 4/05, returns tonight: 34 min (97% of 35)
BACK Hayes back 4/18 after 4, 17 min since (96% of 18)
BACK Smith Jr. back 4/24 after 2, 4 min since (34% of 11)
BACK Kleber back 4/26 after 3, 7 min since (66% of 10)
NEW Hachimura 30 to 37 min over the last 5
NEW Kennard 25 to 34 min over the last 5
LAL availability going into 5/01 · 1 day's restBACK Reaves back 4/29 after 9, 34 min since (97% of 35)
BACK Hayes back 4/18 after 4, 16 min since (88% of 18)
BACK Smith Jr. back 4/24 after 2, 4 min since (34% of 11)
BACK Kleber back 4/26 after 3, 7 min since (66% of 10)
NEW James 34 to 39 min over the last 5
NEW Hachimura 30 to 39 min over the last 5
NEW Smart 29 to 35 min over the last 5
NEW Kennard 25 to 38 min over the last 5
LAL availability going into 5/05 · 3 days' restOUT Kleber missed 2 since 4/29, out tonight
BACK Reaves back 4/29 after 9, 32 min since (93% of 35)
BACK Smith Jr. back 4/24 after 2, 4 min since (32% of 11)
NEW Hachimura 30 to 37 min over the last 5
NEW Smart 29 to 35 min over the last 5
NEW Kennard 25 to 36 min over the last 5
LAL availability going into 5/07 · 1 day's restOUT Kleber missed 3 since 4/29, out tonight
BACK Reaves back 4/29 after 9, 33 min since (96% of 35)
BACK Smith Jr. back 4/24 after 2, 3 min since (28% of 11)
NEW Hachimura 30 to 36 min over the last 5
NEW Smart 29 to 35 min over the last 5
NEW Kennard 25 to 33 min over the last 5
LAL availability going into 5/09 · 1 day's restOUT Kleber missed 4 since 4/29, returns tonight: 8 min (73% of 10)
BACK Reaves back 4/29 after 9, 35 min since (100% of 35)
NEW Hachimura 30 to 35 min over the last 5
LAL availability going into 5/11 · 1 day's restOUT Vanderbilt missed 2 since 5/07, returns tonight: 3 min (17% of 17)
BACK Reaves back 4/29 after 9, 36 min since (102% of 35)
BACK Kleber back 5/09 after 4, 8 min since (73% of 10)
NEW Hachimura 30 to 37 min over the last 5
I Know — the desk, before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
OKC comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 119 a night and allowing 111, shooting 48 percent and 37 from three, 22 free throws a game; Gilgeous-Alexander at 34 and Holmgren at 17 a game. That is 4 straight wins. Without Jal. Williams (2 straight). 7 days' rest. The Lakers come in 3-2 over their last five, scoring 100 a night and allowing 99, shooting 45 percent and 37 from three, 26 free throws a game; James at 24 and Hachimura at 16 a game. 3 days' rest.
So: OKC wins, and the game turns on the defense, the Lakers allowing 99 a night to OKC's 111 and the turnovers, the Lakers giving it away 16 times a game to OKC's 10. Call it OKC 114, the Lakers 107.
4/19 vs PHX 119-84 — OKC notes
OKC won 119-84. OKC shot 45% (42 of 93) to PHX's 35%, 14 of 46 from three. OKC turned it over 6 times to PHX's 17. Gilgeous-Alexander led with 25 (5 of 18, 0 of 4 from three, 15 of 17 at the line); Jal. Williams added 22, Holmgren 16. The hinge was Q1, 35-20: from level to 15 ahead, and the lead reached 39. Gilgeous-Alexander was the night's best plus/minus at +24.
4/22 vs PHX 120-107 — OKC notes
OKC won 120-107. OKC shot 47% (43 of 91) to PHX's 46%, 14 of 40 from three. OKC turned it over 10 times to PHX's 21. Gilgeous-Alexander led with 37 (13 of 25, 2 of 5 from three, 9 of 9 at the line); Holmgren added 19, Jal. Williams 19. The hinge was Q3, 35-20: a lead of 8 became 23, and the lead reached 26. Jal. Williams was the night's best plus/minus at +17.
4/25 @ PHX 121-109 — OKC notes
OKC won 121-109. OKC shot 49% (45 of 91) to PHX's 44%, 12 of 37 from three. Gilgeous-Alexander led with 42 (15 of 18, 1 of 3 from three, 11 of 12 at the line); Mitchell added 15, Caruso 13. The hinge was Q1, 33-28: from level to 5 ahead, and the lead reached 16. J. Williams was the night's best plus/minus at +17.
4/27 @ PHX 131-122 — OKC notes
OKC won 131-122. OKC shot 54% (44 of 82) to PHX's 53%, 17 of 34 from three, and went to the line 30 times to PHX's 16 — 26 points from the stripe to their 12. Gilgeous-Alexander led with 31 (10 of 17, 2 of 4 from three, 9 of 11 at the line); Holmgren added 24, Mitchell 22. The hinge was Q1, 37-33: from level to 4 ahead, and the lead reached 16. Mitchell was the night's best plus/minus at +27.
5/05 vs LAL 108-90 — OKC notes
OKC won 108-90. OKC shot 49% (42 of 85) to LAL's 41%, 13 of 30 from three. Holmgren led with 24 (9 of 17); Gilgeous-Alexander added 18, Mitchell 18. The hinge was Q4, 24-18: a lead of 12 became 18, and the lead reached 21. Caruso was the night's best plus/minus at +15.
5/07 vs LAL — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
OKC comes in 5-0 over its last five, scoring 120 a night and allowing 102, shooting 49 percent and 37 from three, 22 free throws a game; Gilgeous-Alexander at 31 and Holmgren at 19 a game. That is 5 straight wins. Without Jal. Williams (3 straight). One day's rest. The Lakers come in 2-3 over their last five, scoring 98 a night and allowing 102, shooting 44 percent and 34 from three, 23 free throws a game; James at 24 and Hachimura at 17 a game. One day's rest.
So: OKC wins, and the game turns on the turnovers, the Lakers giving it away 17 times a game to OKC's 11. Call it OKC 115, the Lakers 104, OKC by 11.
5/09 @ LAL — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
The Lakers come in 1-4 over their last five, scoring 97 a night and allowing 105, shooting 45 percent and 33 from three, 21 free throws a game; James at 23 and Reaves at 19 a game. One day's rest. OKC comes in 5-0 over its last five, scoring 121 a night and allowing 107, shooting 51 percent and 40 from three, 23 free throws a game; Gilgeous-Alexander at 30 and Holmgren at 20 a game. That is 5 straight wins. Without Jal. Williams (4 straight). One day's rest.
So: OKC wins, on the road, and the game turns on the turnovers, the Lakers giving it away 17 times a game to OKC's 12 and the arc, OKC at 40 percent from three to the Lakers' 33. Call it OKC 113, the Lakers 108.
5/11 @ LAL — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
The Lakers come in 1-4 over their last five, scoring 99 a night and allowing 108, shooting 44 percent and 38 from three, 22 free throws a game; James at 24 and Reaves at 19 a game. That is 3 straight losses. Without Vanderbilt (2 straight). One day's rest. OKC comes in 5-0 over its last five, scoring 123 a night and allowing 107, shooting 53 percent and 42 from three, 20 free throws a game; Gilgeous-Alexander at 27 and Mitchell at 20 a game. That is 5 straight wins. It has won the glass by 4 a night. Without Jal. Williams (5 straight). One day's rest.
So: OKC wins, on the road, and the game turns on the turnovers, the Lakers giving it away 16 times a game to OKC's 12 and the arc, OKC at 42 percent from three to the Lakers' 38. Call it OKC 115, the Lakers 108.
5/18 vs SAS — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
OKC comes in 5-0 over its last five, scoring 122 a night and allowing 107, shooting 53 percent and 43 from three, 20 free throws a game; Gilgeous-Alexander at 26 and Mitchell at 22 a game. That is 5 straight wins. Without Jal. Williams (6 straight). 6 days' rest. San Antonio comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 124 a night and allowing 105, shooting 50 percent and 38 from three, 29 free throws a game; Wembanyama at 22 and Castle at 21 a game. It has won the glass by 7 a night. 2 days' rest.
So: OKC wins, and the game turns on the line, where San Antonio takes 29 free throws a game to OKC's 20 and the arc, OKC at 43 percent from three to San Antonio's 38. Call it OKC 115, San Antonio 114, San Antonio keeping it close.
4/24 @ HOU 112-108 — LAL notes
LAL won 112-108 in 1 overtime. LAL shot 48% (38 of 79) to HOU's 41%, 12 of 29 from three, and went to the line 32 times to HOU's 23 — 24 points from the stripe to their 17. LAL turned it over 20 times to HOU's 15, and HOU turned those into 15 steals. L. James led with 29 (10 of 22, 4 of 9 from three, 5 of 6 at the line); Hachimura added 22, Smart 21. The hinge was Q1, 39-32: from level to 7 ahead, and the lead reached 15.
4/26 @ HOU 96-115 — LAL notes
LAL lost 96-115. LAL shot 50% (37 of 74) to HOU's 48%, 5 of 22 from three, and got to the line 21 times to HOU's 31. LAL turned it over 23 times to HOU's 13, and HOU turned those into 17 steals. Ayton led with 19 (9 of 12); Hachimura added 13, L. James 10. Q4 was theirs, 31-25, the deficit cut from 25 to 19, but the other 3 periods went 90-65 against them. Smart's -20 in 31 minutes was the worst on the floor.
4/29 vs HOU 93-99 — LAL notes
LAL lost 93-99. LAL shot 42% (32 of 76) to HOU's 44%, 7 of 27 from three. LAL turned it over 15 times to HOU's 10, and HOU turned those into 10 steals. James led with 25 (9 of 20, 0 of 6 from three, 7 of 10 at the line); Reaves added 22, Ayton 18. Q1 was theirs, 28-21, but the other 3 periods went 78-65 against them. They led by as many as 11. Hayes's -8 in 10 minutes was the worst on the floor.
5/01 @ HOU 98-78 — LAL notes
LAL won 98-78. LAL shot 40% (36 of 89) to HOU's 35%, 12 of 28 from three. L. James led with 28 (10 of 25, 2 of 5 from three, 6 of 8 at the line); Hachimura added 21, Reaves 15. The hinge was Q2, 26-13: a lead of 5 became 18, and the lead reached 29. L. James was the night's best plus/minus at +26.
5/05 @ OKC 90-108 — LAL notes
LAL lost 90-108. LAL shot 41% (35 of 85) to OKC's 49%, 10 of 30 from three. James led with 27 (12 of 17, 3 of 6 from three); Hachimura added 18, Smart 12. Q2 was theirs, 27-30, but the other 3 periods went 78-63 against them. Hachimura's -21 in 37 minutes was the worst on the floor.
5/07 @ OKC — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
OKC comes in 5-0 over its last five, scoring 120 a night and allowing 102, shooting 49 percent and 37 from three, 22 free throws a game; Gilgeous-Alexander at 31 and Holmgren at 19 a game. That is 5 straight wins. Without Jal. Williams (3 straight). One day's rest. The Lakers come in 2-3 over their last five, scoring 98 a night and allowing 102, shooting 44 percent and 34 from three, 23 free throws a game; James at 24 and Hachimura at 17 a game. One day's rest.
So: OKC wins, and the game turns on the turnovers, the Lakers giving it away 17 times a game to OKC's 11. Call it OKC 115, the Lakers 104, OKC by 11.
5/09 vs OKC — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
The Lakers come in 1-4 over their last five, scoring 97 a night and allowing 105, shooting 45 percent and 33 from three, 21 free throws a game; James at 23 and Reaves at 19 a game. One day's rest. OKC comes in 5-0 over its last five, scoring 121 a night and allowing 107, shooting 51 percent and 40 from three, 23 free throws a game; Gilgeous-Alexander at 30 and Holmgren at 20 a game. That is 5 straight wins. Without Jal. Williams (4 straight). One day's rest.
So: OKC wins, on the road, and the game turns on the turnovers, the Lakers giving it away 17 times a game to OKC's 12 and the arc, OKC at 40 percent from three to the Lakers' 33. Call it OKC 113, the Lakers 108.
5/11 vs OKC — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
The Lakers come in 1-4 over their last five, scoring 99 a night and allowing 108, shooting 44 percent and 38 from three, 22 free throws a game; James at 24 and Reaves at 19 a game. That is 3 straight losses. Without Vanderbilt (2 straight). One day's rest. OKC comes in 5-0 over its last five, scoring 123 a night and allowing 107, shooting 53 percent and 42 from three, 20 free throws a game; Gilgeous-Alexander at 27 and Mitchell at 20 a game. That is 5 straight wins. It has won the glass by 4 a night. Without Jal. Williams (5 straight). One day's rest.
So: OKC wins, on the road, and the game turns on the turnovers, the Lakers giving it away 16 times a game to OKC's 12 and the arc, OKC at 42 percent from three to the Lakers' 38. Call it OKC 115, the Lakers 108.
Who is who
the initials in the Players column
LALAR A. Reaves
BJ B. James
DA D. Ayton
DK D. Knecht
JH J. Hayes
JL J. LaRavia
JV J. Vanderbilt
LJ L. James
LK L. Kennard
MS M. Smart
NS N. Smith Jr.
RH R. Hachimura
OKCAC A. Caruso
AM A. Mitchell
AW A. Wiggins
CH C. Holmgren
CW C. Wallace
IH I. Hartenstein
IJ I. Joe
JM J. McCain
JW J. Williams
LD L. Dort
SG S. Gilgeous-Alexander
LAL/OKC the team itself, not a player
-- the feed named nobody
What
What happened
the codes in the Events column
M2 / M3 made 2 / made 3
X2 / X3 missed 2 / missed 3
FT / X1 free throw made / missed
AST assist
OR / DR offensive / defensive rebound
STL steal
BLK block
TO turnover
FL foul
OF offensive foul — ends the possession
VIOL violation
JUMP jump ball
TM timeout
IR instant replay
HE heave at the buzzer, filed to the team
END the clock ran out, ball in hand
Where
Where a shot came from
the middle field of M3.LW.25
RM at the rim inside 4 ft
RC right corner
RW right wing
SO straight on
LW left wing
LC left corner
M3.LW.25 made 3, left wing, 25 ft
X2.RM.01 missed 2, at the rim, 1 ft
When
When it happened
the Offset column
one number per event, in the Events order:
whole seconds from the start of the
possession to that event
Events FL X3.RC.23 OR M2.RM.01
Offset 0 18 22 24
the foul opens the possession at 0s;
the putback ends it at 24s, which is
the possession's own Dur
Holmgren has 24 points to help Thunder top Lakers 108-90 in Game 1 of Western Conference semifinals
OKLAHOMA CITY -- — Chet Holmgren had 24 points and 12 rebounds, and the Oklahoma City Thunder routed the Los Angeles Lakers 108-90 on Tuesday night in Game 1 of their Western Conference semifinal series.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Ajay Mitchell each added 18 points for the Thunder. The defending champions improved to 5-0 in the playoffs, despite missing 2025 All-Star Jalen Williams with an injured left hamstring for the third straight game. The Thunder shot 49.4% from the field and made 13 of 30 3-pointers.
Oklahoma City will host Game 2 on Thursday.
Los Angeles struggled to find offense without scoring champion Luka Doncic , who has missed the past month with an injured left hamstring. LeBron James scored 27 points and Rui Hachimura added 18 for the Lakers. Austin Reaves , who averaged 23.3 points in the regular season, was held to eight on 3-for-16 shooting.
Oklahoma City won all four regular-season matchups by an average of 29.3 points, and this one was only slightly closer. The Thunder held the Lakers to 41.7% shooting and forced 17 turnovers.
The Lakers ran out to a 7-0 lead, with James scoring five of the points. Eventually, the Thunder shook off the rust from an eight-day break and went up 31-26 at the end of the first quarter, despite 12 points from James.
Holmgren's two-handed alley-oop dunk on a lob from Isaiah Hartenstein put the Thunder up 48-39. Lakers forward Jarred Vanderbilt injured the pinkie finger on his right hand on the play, left the game and did not return.
Oklahoma City led 61-53 at halftime, despite 16 points from James.
Mitchell, who started in Williams' place, made a corner 3-pointer and was fouled by Marcus Smart in the final minute of the third quarter. His free throw put the Thunder up 84-72, a score that held up until the end of the period.
Alex Caruso 's fast-break dunk early in the fourth put Oklahoma City up 88-73, and the Thunder maintained control from there.