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Manila Bulletin devider Sports devider Basketball devider Holmgren shines as Thunder outlast Lakers to take Western Conference semis opener

Holmgren shines as Thunder outlast Lakers to take Western Conference semis opener

Published May 6, 2026 11:30 am

At A Glance

  • OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Chet Holmgren had 24 points and 12 rebounds, and the Oklahoma City Thunder routed the Los Angeles Lakers, 108-90, on Tuesday night, May 5, in Game 1 of their Western Conference semifinal series.
Oklahoma City Thunder center Chet Holmgren (7) shoots over Los Angeles Lakers center Deandre Ayton (5) as Ajay Mitchell (25) looks on in the first half of Game 1 in a second-round NBA basketball playoffs series Tuesday, May 5, 2026 in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/Kyle Phillips)
Oklahoma City Thunder center Chet Holmgren (7) shoots over Los Angeles Lakers center Deandre Ayton (5) as Ajay Mitchell (25) looks on in the first half of Game 1 in a second-round NBA basketball playoffs series Tuesday, May 5, 2026 in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/Kyle Phillips)
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Chet Holmgren had 24 points and 12 rebounds, and the Oklahoma City Thunder routed the Los Angeles Lakers, 108-90, on Tuesday night, May 5, 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.
Meanwhile, Cade Cunningham scored 23 points, Tobias Harris had 20 and the Detroit Pistons beat the Cleveland Cavaliers, 111-101, in Game 1 of their second-round series.
Duncan Robinson added 19 points for the top-seeded Pistons, who ended an NBA record-tying 12-game postseason losing streak against a single opponent, a drought that dated to the 2007 Eastern Conference finals.
Game 2 is Thursday night in Detroit.
Cleveland's Donovan Mitchell scored 23 points, ending his NBA-record streak of scoring 30-plus points in nine straight series openers.
James Harden had 22 points and Max Strus scored 19 for the No. 4-seeded Cavs, who pulled into a tie midway through the fourth quarter after trailing for most of the night and by as much as 18 points.
Cleveland center Jarrett Allen was limited to two points and three rebounds, coming off a 22-point, 19-rebound performance in an elimination game against Toronto.

Related Tags

Oklahoma City Thunder Los Angeles Lakers NBA Playoffs Cleveland Cavaliers Detroit Pistons
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