Oklahoma City Thunder beat Los Angeles Lakers 131-108 on the road on Saturday, May 9. The final margin was 23 points.
The game, quarter by quarter
The Thunder had the better start, winning the first 31-25 to lead by 6 after one. The Lakers moved in front with a 34-26 second quarter, carrying a 2-point lead into halftime.
The Thunder won the third 33-20 to turn the game around, taking a 11-point lead into the fourth. The Thunder took the fourth 41-29; the Thunder finished the job for a 131-108 regulation win.
Why it was lopsided
The Thunder took better care of the ball, turning it over on 9.4% of possessions compared with 17% for the Lakers. The Thunder got more from their shots, finishing at 65.4% effective field-goal shooting compared with 55.6% for the Lakers. Those extra possessions were crucial.
The Lakers did win one battle, the free-throw line: FT rate of 22.2 against 8.5. The Thunder made up for it elsewhere.
At roughly 95 possessions per team, the Thunder produced 138.3 points per 100 possessions to 114 for the Lakers.
The Thunder's reserves also made a difference, outscoring the opposing bench 38-23.
Who stood out
Ajay Mitchell was the game's biggest individual force for OKC: 24 pts, 4 reb, 10 ast, 3 stl on 10-17 shooting. His Game Score of 26.5 led everyone. His team was +14 with him on the floor.
Rui Hachimura led the Lakers with 21 pts, 5 reb, 4 ast on 7-14 shooting, good for a 18.3 Game Score.
Ajay Mitchell (24 pts, 4 reb, 10 ast) recorded a double-double.
What it means
The pre-game Win Meter had it close to a coin flip, at about 55% for the Thunder.
Across the last 9 meetings in our records, Oklahoma City Thunder lead 8-1.
Written automatically by Tip Off Live software from box score data. Ratings and probabilities are our own model estimates.