Oklahoma City Thunder (63-16) beat Los Angeles Lakers (50-29) 123-87 on the road on Tuesday, April 7. The final margin was 36 points.
The game, quarter by quarter
The Thunder had the better start, winning the first 34-27 to lead by 7 after one. The Thunder kept the pressure on with a 31-20 second quarter, carrying a 18-point lead into halftime.
The Thunder won the third 28-15 to create some separation, taking a 31-point lead into the fourth. The Thunder took the fourth 30-25; the Thunder finished the job for a 123-87 regulation win.
Why it was lopsided
The Thunder got more from their shots, finishing at 62.4% effective field-goal shooting compared with 50% for the Lakers. The Thunder took better care of the ball, turning it over on 12.4% 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 19.2 against 13.5. The Thunder made up for it elsewhere.
At roughly 96 possessions per team, the Thunder produced 127.6 points per 100 possessions to 90.2 for the Lakers.
The Thunder's reserves also made a difference, outscoring the opposing bench 61-44.
Who stood out
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was the game's biggest individual force for OKC: 25 pts, 1 reb, 8 ast on 10-15 shooting. His Game Score of 23 led everyone. His team was +32 with him on the floor.
Luke Kennard led the Lakers with 10 pts, 2 reb, 9 ast on 4-7 shooting, good for a 14.2 Game Score.
Chet Holmgren (15 pts, 10 reb, 0 ast) recorded a double-double.
What it means
The pre-game Win Meter had it close to a coin flip, at about 58% for the Thunder.
Across the last 6 meetings in our records, Oklahoma City Thunder lead 5-1.
The Thunder are now 63-16, and the Lakers are 50-29. The Thunder last five before this game: W-W-W-W-W.
Written automatically by Tip Off Live software from box score data. Ratings and probabilities are our own model estimates.