Oklahoma City Thunder beat Los Angeles Lakers 125-107 at home on Thursday, May 7.
The game, quarter by quarter
The Thunder had the better start, winning the first 27-23 to lead by 4 after one. The Lakers moved in front with a 35-30 second quarter, carrying a 1-point lead into halftime.
The Thunder won the third 36-22 to turn the game around, taking a 13-point lead into the fourth. The Thunder took the fourth 32-27; the Thunder finished the job for a 125-107 regulation win.
What decided it
The Thunder took better care of the ball, turning it over on 12.6% of possessions compared with 20.6% for the Lakers. The Thunder got more from their shots, finishing at 64.2% effective field-goal shooting compared with 57.1% for the Lakers. Those extra possessions were crucial.
At roughly 96 possessions per team, the Thunder produced 129.7 points per 100 possessions to 111.1 for the Lakers.
The Thunder's reserves also made a difference, outscoring the opposing bench 39-20.
Who made the difference
Chet Holmgren was the game's biggest individual force for OKC: 22 pts, 9 reb, 3 ast, 4 stl on 7-11 shooting. His Game Score of 24.5 led everyone. His team was +19 with him on the floor.
Austin Reaves led the Lakers with 31 pts, 2 reb, 6 ast on 10-16 shooting, good for a 20.8 Game Score.
What it means
The result fit the pre-game Win Meter, which gave the Thunder about a 78% chance.
Across the last 8 meetings in our records, Oklahoma City Thunder lead 7-1.
Written automatically by Tip Off Live software from box score data. Ratings and probabilities are our own model estimates.