Oklahoma City Thunder beat Los Angeles Lakers 115-110 on the road on Monday, May 11. The Lakers led after three quarters, but the Thunder took control in the fourth.
The game, quarter by quarter
The Lakers had the better start, winning the first 26-21 to lead by 5 after one. The Thunder moved in front with a 28-19 second quarter, carrying a 4-point lead into halftime.
The Lakers won the third 39-31 to turn the game around, taking a 4-point lead into the fourth. The Thunder took the fourth 35-26; the Thunder completed the comeback for a 115-110 regulation win.
What decided it
The Thunder took better care of the ball, turning it over on 11.4% of possessions compared with 19.2% for the Lakers. The Thunder got more from their shots, finishing at 58.6% effective field-goal shooting compared with 57.3% for the Lakers. In a 5-point game, those extra possessions were crucial.
The Lakers did win one battle, the free-throw line: FT rate of 32 against 24.7. The Thunder made up for it elsewhere.
At roughly 98 possessions per team, the Thunder produced 117.7 points per 100 possessions to 112.6 for the Lakers.
The Thunder's reserves also made a difference, outscoring the opposing bench 25-11.
Who made the difference
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was the game's biggest individual force for OKC: 35 pts, 1 reb, 8 ast on 11-22 shooting. His Game Score of 26.3 led everyone. His team was -7 with him on the floor.
Rui Hachimura led the Lakers with 25 pts, 5 reb, 2 ast on 9-15 shooting, good for a 20.1 Game Score.
LeBron James (24 pts, 12 reb, 3 ast) recorded a double-double.
What it means
The pre-game Win Meter had it close to a coin flip, at about 59% for the Thunder.
Across the last 10 meetings in our records, Oklahoma City Thunder lead 9-1.
Written automatically by Tip Off Live software from box score data. Ratings and probabilities are our own model estimates.