Lakers 120 vs 136 Thunder summary, stats, scores and highlights | Luka Doncic ejected
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The game was tied up at 112-112 when the Thunder went on an 8-0 run and never looked back. They pulled away from the Lakers as LeBron tried to go into take over mode following the Luka ejection. OKC's class rose to the top and they pulled out what looked to be a comfortable win on paper, but it was anything but that.
The Thunder now hit the road for their final three games of the season. They will have to keep wining if they want to finish the season with the best record in the league. The Lakers have a quick turnaround tomorrow as Luka makes his return to Dallas to play the Mavericks. They need to keep the wins rolling if they are going to head in to the playoffs as the three seed.
This was a test for the Thunder, who are still a young team despite being the top team in the league. The Lakers came into the game needing a win, and the Thunder came out and took them seriously. This felt like a playoff game, and it looked like a playoff game.
The game was tight really all four quarter, but with 8:00 to go Luka hit a three ball and that started talking to either the ref or a fan in the front row. He got T'd up for the second time and got ejected despite Luka and LeBron trying to plead their case. It was 108-108 at the time, after that the Thunder went on a 28-12 run to pull away from LA.
SGA was held to 22 points in the last game against the Lakers but he wasn't going to have to sub par games in a row. He knew the Lakers were in town. He knew this was a big game. He knew he was going to have a rebound game and he did.
The Rookie Dalton Knecht got a rush of blood to the head and went right at Hartenstein, but it was the big man that will be putting this freeze frame on the home screen of his Iphone after stuffing Knecht at the rim.
They may have been scoring points by the bucket loads from OKC on Tuesday night, but the Thunder brought the defense to work with them in their home finale. Chet Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein were monsters down low on a night in which they combined for 5 blocks.
The Lakers hit 9 threes in the first quarter, but the Thunder were hanging tight, hitting 7 of their own as both teams scored 40 in the opening 12 minutes.
It wasn't just the Lakers knocking down the long balls. The Thunder were red hot from downtown and Lu Dort led the way hitting five threes in the first half. He had all of his 17 points in the first half, but that was enough to get the three pointers flowing early on for OKC.
The Thunder got lit up from downtown last game, and this game was no different. The Lakers tied their franchise record for most threes in a half, with 15 in each of the two first halves against OKC over the last couple days. The difference from Sunday to Tuesday was the Thunder brought a physical brand of basketball that was missing on last game.
The Oklahoma City Thunder hosted the LA Lakers for a second straight game and avenged their loss on Sunday afternoon with a big win in the chase for the best record in the NBA. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander put up 42 points in the 136-120 win to close out the Thunder's regular season home slate.
The game got off to a blistering start with both teams catching fire from downtown. While SGA and company did the work around the perimeter it was Isaiah Hartensteiin dominating down low.
IT'S ALL OVER!!!
The OKC Thunder win their regular season home finale, and then next time they will play here will be in the playoffs.
Jemison with the offensive board and put back off the Knecht miss.
Koloko to the FT line and he hits both FTs.
Williams from the wing and he sinks the three ball!!
The foul is upgraded to a flagrant one, and Williams makes both FTs.
Vanderbilt fouled Williams and there was a little more than just a tap so the refs will have a look at that.
Williams spins, fades and hits the mid range jumper in the paint!!
Vanderbilt to the line after the foul on SGA and he hits one of two FTs.
Reaves was stripped by Dort and Wallace broke to the bucket, got fouled and got the bucket!! FT is no good with under 3:00 to go.
SGA pulls up from downtown and he's got 42 on the night!!!
SGA pulls up and hits the short jumper in the paint.
Williams misses the short shot but gets his own rebound and tip in.
Reaves fouled on the deep two by Wallace and he hits one of two FTs.
James holding off the defender and he floats it up and in from the paint.
Williams out on the break and he gets the goal tend call and the foul on Finney-Smith!! FT is good.
Timeout Lakers with 5:41 to go after an 8-0 Thunder run.
SGA on the step back and he drills it from the wing, and OKC might be taking control late in this game! He's got 37!!
Reves to the line after the foul on Dort but he misses both!
Hartenstein with the dump off to Caruso who reverses it on the baseline.
Reaves to the line after the foul on Caruso and he hits both FTs.
Kickout from SGA to Caruso in the corner and he drills it!!!
Reaves to the line after the foul on Hartenstein and he hits both FTs.
Vanderbilt got T'd up after blocking a shot and getting in the face of Caruso. SGA hits the FT to put OKC up.
SGA hits the technical foul shot.
Doncic just got T'd up for the second time and he's gone! Luka is pleading his case that he was talking to one of the fans, but the ref isn't buying it.
He's gone! LA will be without him for the final 7:30
Luka off the dribble and he gets the floater to go in the lane.
The call stands, and Reaves goes to the line where he makes one of two FTs.
Reaves was fouled by Williams but the Thunder are going to challenge that call.
LeBron to the line after the foul on Wiggins and LeBron hits one of two FTs.
Wallace goes up with the left hand and finishes off the glass.
Holmgren banging down low and he gets the second attempt to fall.
LeBron to the line after a foul on Wallace and he hits both FTs.
James with another lay up at the bucket off the dish from Reaves.
Wallace with a spot up three ball and he drains it in the corner.
LeBron right to the rack and he lays it up and in.
Wiggins starts the quarter off with a three ball from the top of the key!
WE ARE HEADING TO THE FOURTH QUARTER WITH THE LAKERS UP BY ONE!!!
SGA to the line after the foul on Goodwin and he hits both FTs.
SGA follows his own miss and gets the put back to fall.
Vincent missed the three from the corner but Hayes was there for the tip slam down low.
SGA dropped his defender with a step back and drilled the three ball from the top of the key!
Vincent slipped it off to Hayes down the lane and he soars to the iron for a two handed slam!
Timeout Thunder with 2:40 to go in the 3rd quarter.
Doncic to the line after the foul on Caruso and he hits both FTs.
SGA back into the lane and this time he finger rolls it home right down Main Street.
Doncic missed the deep two but Vanderbilt was waiting underneath for the tip in.
SGA to the line after the foul on Hayes and he hits one of two FTs.
Doncic gets T'd up and SGA hits the technical FT.
Extra pass from Hayes to Vanderbilt for the slam on the baseline.
Doncic pull up from the logo and he drills the deep triple!!!
LeBron spots up with a deep three from the top of the key and he drills it!
Hartenstein with the offensive rebound and put back.
Finney-Smith dumps it down for Vanderbilt and he dunks it with two hands and the Thunder call a timeout after a 12-4 start to the second half by LA.
Timeout with 7:35 to go in the third quarter.
LeBron off the dribble and he sinks it from downtown! He's starting to heat up!
Hartenstein with the push shot in the land after the slip pass from Dort on the baseline.
Hayes got his own rebound off the missed FT and that led to a LeBron floater in the lane.
Hayes to the line and he hits one of two after the foul on SGA.
The foul stands and Holmgren hits two of three FTs.
Holmgren fouled on the three point shot by Hayes and the Lakers are going to challenge the call.
Hayes with the jam down low after the entry pass from Luka.
WE ARE BACK IN PLAY FOR THE SECOND HALF OF ACTION FROM OKC.
This might be the block of the year. Someone was going to end up on the wrong end of a poster and it ended up being Dalton Knecht after trying to dunk on Hartenstein. IHeart had other ideas.
It hasn't just been offensive on display in OKC. Holmgren and the Thunder tightened up in that second quarter and that's why they lead by 10 at half.
Austin Reaves has been a mad man over the last couple of weeks. He had 18 points in the first half and he is 4/6 from long range.
Lu Dort is 5/6 from behind the arc and has 17 points after the first two quarters. The Thunder are 11/20 from deep, and shooting 64% from the field.
Jalen Williams took over that 2nd quarter. He had 17 points and got hot from downtown, but also showed he can get up and slam it down.
It seemed to be all three pointers from both teams in those first 24 minutes but there were a couple of easy looks from close around the bucket. Hartenstein got a couple of those and had maybe one of the blocks of the year.
The Lakers had a historic shooting performance last game from OKC and they picked up where they left off. Austin Reaves and LA came out red hot agains in the first quarter.
WE ARE HEADING TO HALFTIME AFTER AN OFFENSIVE EXPLOSION IN THAT FIRST HALF!!!
LeBron to the line after the foul on Wallace and he hits both FTs.
SGA to the line and he hits one of two after the foul on SGA.
LeBron was left alone and he strokes it for the Lakers' 15th three of the half to tie their franchise record they tied last game.
Pump fake, dribble and pull up from Dort from the baseline.
Extra pass to Dort in the corner and he drills another one from three point land!
Finney-Smith in the corner and he drills his fourth three of the night!
Joe with the three ball from the corner off the Hartenstein offensive board and three ball!
Hartenstein called for a foul that send LeBron to the line and he hits both FTs.
Step back from SGA and he drills the three ball and he's got 20 on the night. Make that 72 consecutive.
Luka finds Vincent cutting to the bucket and he reverses it home.
Hartenstein with the push shot in the paint off the slip pass on the baseline.
Vincent drills the three ball, his first of the night and the Thunder take a timeout with 4:12 to go in the half.
SGA spins and hits the fader over Doncic from the elbow.
Doncic pulls up from the wing and he hits the long ball!
Wiliams goes back into the paint and floats it up over Hayes for another bucket.
Caruso sends Luka to the line and he hits both FTs.
Vanderbilt threw it away and Caruso was there to scoop it and score!
Another finger roll from Willams and he's caught fire in this second quarter.
Williams running the break and he euro steps around Reaves for the lay up.
Wiggins lays it off for Holmgren and he goes right at the bucket from down low.
Wallace with the steal on one end and takes it to the cup for the steal and score.
Vanderbilt to the line after the foul on Holmgren and he hits one of two FTs.
Timeout Lakers with 8:40 to go in the first half.
Wallace to the cup after the up and under and finger rolls it past Knecht!
LeBron takes a hop-skip to the bucket and lays it up from the left side.
Wlliams on the step back and he's got 8 straight points for the Thunder.
Reaves off the screen and he jacks the three ball from the top of the key! He's got 20+ already!
Holmgren with the kick out to J. Williams and he sinks it! He's got 9 on the night.
LeBron with a no look pass to Knecht and he strokes the three ball in the corner!!
Williams sinks the mid range jumper from inside the paint.
WE ARE THROUGH ONE QUARTER HERE FROM LOS ANGELES!!!
Reaves has 15, SGA has 15 and Dort has 12 and it was raining threes in that first quarter. LA went 9/13 in the first 12 minutes and OKC hit 7 of 11 deep balls.
Reaves answers back with a three ball from the wing that's his third of the first quarter!!!
Holmgren gets the friendly roll off the three ball from the wing!!
Caruso off the dribble and he hits the one footed fader over LeBron from the paint!
LeBron to the line after the foul on Holmgren and he hits both FTs.
SGA with another fader in the lane and gets the short jumper to fall.
Goodwin jacks the three ball from the top of the key and he hits his second of the night off the feed from Doncic!
Doncic to the line out of the timeout and he hits the and one.
Luke got bumped, dropped the leaner on the baseline and will be going to the line after the timeout out from OKC with 2:51 to go in the first quarter.
Dort with his fourth three of the night, and this time he was wide open from the top of the key!
Doncic joins the three point part with a long ball form the wing!
SGA with a step back three ball and he drills it!! That's 11 combined threes in the first quarter from both teams.
Extra pass from Vincent to Goodwin who drills the three right off the bench.
Dort to the line after the foul on Vanderbilt but he misses both FTs.
Reaves back to the bucket and back to the line with an and one! FT is good after the foul on SGA.
Williams on the step back and he hits the mid range jumper from the baseline.
Reaves and Luka playing the two man game and Luka floats it up from the baseline.
Hartenstein finds SGA cutting through the lane and he shows the hops with a two handed jam.
Reaves fights through the contact, gets the lay up to go and the foul on Williams! FT is good for Reaves.
Luka with a pull up from the paint and he was asking for the and 1, but didn't get it.
Dortwith another three ball, and he's got three on the night to match DFS.
Finney-Smith from the corner and that's his third triple of the first half!!!
Dort with a high arching three ball from the wing, and he's got two of those already!
SGA with a fader in the paint and he's got 8 points already.
SGA on the break and he weaves his way to the bucket for the deuce.
TImeout Laker with 7:42 to go in the first quarter.
SGA missed the three ball but Williams was there to tip smash it back!
Reaves in the corner and he sticks it for the second time tonight.
Holmgren working the inside off the dish from Hartenstein on the baseline and he lays it up and in.
SGA to the line after the foul on Finney-Smith and he hits both FTs.
SGA with the no look pass to Hartenstein for the jam down the lane.
Finney-Smith with his second three ball of the night, this time from the right wing.
Holmgren with the pump fake, dribble and pull up from the wing and he hits the deep ball.
Dort sends Luka to the line and he hits one of two FTs.
Dort answers back with a three ball off the kick out from Holmgren.
LeBron slings it to Finney-Smith from under the basket and DFS strokes the three from the wing.
Reaves off the dribble and he drills the three ball from the top of the key!!!
SGA starts off the night by getting into the lane and hitting the mid range jumper.
WE ARE UNDERWAY FROM OKC!!!
Starting five
The Thunder are going with their same starting five from Sunday's loss, but will be hoping this unit can set the tone early on. It's SGA, Lu Dort, Holmgren, Hartenstein and Williams. It's the final home game of the regular season. Will the Thunder end their home slate with a win? We find out now.
Lakers first five
JJ Redick is changing the line up a bit tonight. He started Rui Hachimura last game, but it's Dorian Finney-Smith getting the start with Hayes, LeBron, Luka and Austin Reaves. They came out hot from behind the arc last game, lets see if they can keep up the hot shooting.
All eyes on tonight, but Bulls could do them a favor
Shai and the guys are getting warmed up, and they will be hoping the Bulls can do them a favor and beat the Cavaliers tonight from Cleveland. That game is already underway, and the Cavs have a slight lead in the first quarter.
Tie break rules
There are a whole bunch of teams in a mad dash towards the finish line during the next week. Some are trying to avoid the Play-In, some are looking for the Top 4 to host a first round series, and some like the Lakers are in the running for the 3rd spot in the West. It’s most likely going to come down to a tie break in a couple of those races. If you need a break down on how the tie breaks work, our Calum Roche has you covered.
Lakers’ remaining schedule
The Lakers aren’t going to have it easy the rest of the way. After tonight against the top team in the league, they have the the Dallas Mavericks tomorrow tonight, the Houston Rockets and the Portland Trail Blazers. If they win tonight, they are guaranteed the three seed, but that game against the Rockets is going to be huge. They have to be thinking about tonight before Luka’s return to Dallas and the big game against the Rockets.
Season series:
This is the third and final game between these two teams of the regular season. The Lakers won the last one on Sunday in a blow out but they lost in OKC earlier in the season to a very different looking Lakers team. That was back in November and Luka was not around, and LeBron had just 12 points as Dalton Knecht led LA with 20 points. SGA dropped 36 in the only win over LA, and tonight’s game is going to be more of an indication of how both teams are going to play in the playoffs. Could we see this match up in a second or Conference Finals?
A classic in OKC
The Lake Show went with the Sunday whites the other day from OKC, but tonight they bring out old faithful They are goinig with the iconic jersey tonight in one of the biggest games of the year.
NBA Standings
Coming into tonight’s game the Thunder are the top team, not only in the West, but in the league. At 64-14 they are two games above the Cleveland Cavaliers for best record in the league. They have a 12.5 game cushion over the 2nd placed Houston Rockets in the West and have already locked up the one seed. Behind the Rockets sit the LA Lakers at 48-30, 3.5 games back of the Rockets but 1.5 games against the Nuggets who shockingly fired their head coach Mike Malone with 5 games left in the regular season. They are two games above the the Clippers, Warriors, Timberwolves and the Grizzlies. The latter two of the four are in the Play-In spots right now, but that is likely to change before the season ends.
Star watch: Thunder
The Oklahoma City Thunder run off of one guy, and he was shut down last game against the Lakers. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had just 22 points, 10 less than his season average, but he is the front runner for MVP. Nikola Jokic is his closes competitor but SGA is on the best team in the league and leading the NBA is scoring. If the Thunder are going to get their first title in franchise history, they are going to need SGA to be at an MVP level for the rest of the season.
Star watch: Lakers
It’s pick your poison when you go up against the Los Angeles Lakers. Luka Doncic is the top scorer since joining the Lakers in February. LeBron James is only the all-time leading scorer in NBA history. Austin Reeves has scored 30 in four of the last six games for LA. They are the league’s newest Big There, and they are eyeing a deep push in the playoffs. They know games like this are the best measure themselves against the best of the best.
Last match up:
The Lakers got out to a red hot start on Sunday afternoon against the Thunder. They scored 42 points in the first quarter and tied a franchise record for threes in a half with 15 in the opening 24 minutes. They led by 20 in the 2nd quarter and kept that cushion for the duration of the game. Luka Doncic led the Lakers with 30 points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists as LA eased to the 126-99 win in the first of two straight games from OKC.
We are live from OKC
Hello everyone and welcome to Paycor Center where the Lakers are coming off a win against the Thunder on Sunday afternoon and looking to make it to in a row against the top team in the NBA. The Lakers need a win to keep ahead of the rest of the pack chasing the third spot in the West. The Thunder need a win to keep their cushion over the Cleveland Cavaliers for the best record in the NBA so they can clinch home court throughout the playoffs and into the Finals, should they get there. It’s a must win for both teams and there is a playoff feel to this game tonight.
Lakers vs. Thunder
We’ve got a rematch of Sunday’s blowout game from Paycor Stadium as the top team in the Western Conference continues their push towards home court advantage throughout the playoffs while the visitors come in looking to secure their third place spot in the West. It’s the Oklahoma City Thunder hosting the Los Angeles Lakers for the second time in a matter of days and AS English will be with you all night providing live coverage, stats, highlights and analysis of this game with big time post season seeding implications.