Game ID: 42500222
Los Angeles Lakers @ Oklahoma City Thunder
Thursday, May 7, 2026 at 9:30 PM ET
Paycom Center, Oklahoma City, OK
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Final
OKC 27 30 36 32 125LAL 23 35 22 27 107
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 4/22 · 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)
OKC availability going into 5/20 · 1 day's restOUT K. Williams missed 2 since 5/11, out tonight
BACK Jal. Williams back 5/18 after 6, 37 min since (137% of 27)
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 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.
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 125-107 — OKC notes
OKC won 125-107. OKC shot 56% (45 of 81) to LAL's 50%, 14 of 36 from three. OKC turned it over 12 times to LAL's 20. Holmgren led with 22 (7 of 11, 3 of 5 from three, 5 of 7 at the line); Gilgeous-Alexander added 22, Mitchell 20. The hinge was Q3, 36-22: OKC came in trailing by 1 and left it ahead by 13, and the lead reached 20. OKC trailed 57-58 at the half and won the second half 68-49. Holmgren was the night's best plus/minus at +19.
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.
5/20 vs SAS — 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 107, shooting 50 percent and 40 from three, 18 free throws a game; Gilgeous-Alexander at 24 and Mitchell at 19 a game. One day's rest. San Antonio comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 122 a night and allowing 109, shooting 49 percent and 35 from three, 29 free throws a game; Wembanyama at 26 and Fox at 20 a game. That is 3 straight wins. It has won the glass by 9 a night. One day's rest.
So: OKC wins, and the game turns on the glass, where San Antonio has been plus-9 a night and OKC minus-3 and the line, where San Antonio takes 29 free throws a game to OKC's 18. Call it OKC 116, San Antonio 113, San Antonio keeping it close.
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 107-125 — LAL notes
LAL lost 107-125. LAL shot 50% (39 of 78) to OKC's 56%, 11 of 29 from three. LAL turned it over 20 times to OKC's 12, and OKC turned those into 12 steals. Reaves led with 31 (10 of 16, 3 of 6 from three, 8 of 10 at the line); James added 23, Hachimura 16. Q2 was theirs, 35-30, turning a 4-point deficit into a 1-point lead, but the other 3 periods went 95-72 against them. Reaves's -20 in 38 minutes was the worst on the floor.
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
AT A. Thiero
BJ B. James
DA D. Ayton
DK D. Knecht
JH J. Hayes
JL J. LaRavia
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
KW K. Williams
LD L. Dort
NT N. Topić
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 and Gilgeous-Alexander each score 22 as Thunder take 2-0 lead over Lakers in West semis
OKLAHOMA CITY -- — Shai Gilgeous-Alexander isn't scoring the way he usually does, but the Oklahoma City Thunder are still winning the way they normally do.
Gilgeous-Alexander, the reigning NBA MVP, averaged 31.1 points during the regular season. In the Western Conference semifinals against the Los Angeles Lakers , he is averaging 20 points and taking only 14 shots per game.
Oklahoma City has still won the first two games by an average of 18 points. Gilgeous-Alexander and Chet Holmgren each scored 22 points, and the defending champion Thunder beat the Lakers 125-107 on Thursday night.
Ajay Mitchell , starting in place of injured Jalen Williams , is averaging 19 points on 50% shooting in the series for Oklahoma City.
“I think the coaching staff does a good job at just getting all of us ready,” said Mitchell, a second-year guard. "And we have a lot of competitors. Like, everyone’s a competitor on our team. So every time the lights are bright, everyone’s ready to go.”
Holmgren is the leading scorer for the Thunder in the best-of-seven series with 23 points per game. The 2026 All-Star also is averaging 10.5 rebounds and 2.5 blocks.
Jared McCain , a midseason acquisition from the Philadelphia 76ers , barely played in the first round against Phoenix but has averaged 15 points and made 8 of 10 3-pointers in the series.
“He goes in there, stays in character, stays aggressive," Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said. "He’s going to shoot the next shot. He makes the right plays, plays inside the team. He competes defensively, has had good defensive possessions for us. And he was huge tonight. You need that in a playoff series.”
The Lakers again were without scoring champion Luka Doncic , who is out indefinitely with a strained left hamstring. They also were missing forward Jarred Vanderbilt , the reserve forward who dislocated the pinkie on his right hand during the second quarter of Game 1. The Lakers had three players finish with five fouls, limiting their aggressiveness late in the game.
Los Angeles guard Austin Reaves , who struggled with his shot in Game 1, scored 31 points on 10-for-16 shooting in Game 2. LeBron James , coming off a 27-point effort in Game 1, followed that up with 23.
With the Lakers up 63-61 early in the third quarter, Gilgeous-Alexander got tied up with Reaves and was called for his fourth foul. Upon review, it was upgraded to a flagrant 1 for Gilgeous-Alexander's follow through. Oklahoma City's Alex Caruso was called for a technical foul as the situation was being sorted out.
Gilgeous-Alexander left the game with the Lakers up 65-61, but the Thunder rallied and took control without him. On a fast break, Holmgren found a trailing Jaylin Williams , who hit a 3-pointer and was fouled. His free throw put the Thunder up 85-74.
The Thunder outscored the Lakers 32-15 while Gilgeous-Alexander was out in the third quarter to take a 93-80 lead into the fourth.
“It was amazing," Gilgeous-Alexander said. “They strung together stops, they’re playing the right way offensively and things are going their way. Full confidence in those guys. They know how to win basketball games. And we've proven that. They’ve proven that no matter who’s on the floor, they know how to get the job done. And they just did it again tonight."
The Lakers cut Oklahoma City's lead to five in the fourth quarter before the Thunder pulled away again.
Los Angeles will host Game 3 on Saturday.
“We just stuck with it,” Holmgren said. “It’s the game of basketball. It’s not always going to go your way. It’s about how you respond. And this team has proven many times that we know how to respond. And we did so tonight.”
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This story has been corrected to show that Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is averaging 20, not 19, points per game against the Lakers.