Oklahoma City Thunder (61-16) beat Los Angeles Lakers (50-27) 139-96 at home on Thursday, April 2. The final margin was 43 points.
The game, quarter by quarter
The Thunder struck first, taking the opening quarter 44-21 and a 23-point lead after one. The Thunder kept the pressure on with a 38-30 second quarter, carrying a 31-point lead into halftime.
The Thunder won the third 30-16 to create some separation, taking a 45-point lead into the fourth. The Lakers took the fourth 29-27; the Thunder held on for a 139-96 regulation win.
Why it was lopsided
The Thunder got more from their shots, finishing at 63.2% effective field-goal shooting compared with 47.5% for the Lakers. The Thunder took better care of the ball, turning it over on 9.5% of possessions compared with 17.8% for the Lakers. That shooting gap supplied the clearest edge.
The Lakers did win one battle, the free-throw line: FT rate of 26.6 against 9.8. The Thunder made up for it elsewhere.
At roughly 103 possessions per team, the Thunder produced 135.2 points per 100 possessions to 93.4 for the Lakers.
The Thunder's reserves also made a difference, outscoring the opposing bench 72-43.
Who stood out
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was the game's biggest individual force for OKC: 28 pts, 7 reb, 7 ast on 12-25 shooting. His Game Score of 21.3 led everyone. His team was +35 with him on the floor.
What it means
The result fit the pre-game Win Meter, which gave the Thunder about a 78% chance.
Across the last 5 meetings in our records, Oklahoma City Thunder lead 4-1.
The Thunder are now 61-16, and the Lakers are 50-27. The Thunder last five before this game: W-L-W-W-W.
Written automatically by Tip Off Live software from box score data. Ratings and probabilities are our own model estimates.