sports • May. 6, 2026

Chet Holmgren Scores 24 as Thunder Defeat Lakers in Western Conference Semifinals Opener

Chet Holmgren scored 24 points to lead the Oklahoma City Thunder to a dominant 108-90 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals, giving Oklahoma City an early advantage in the NBA playoff series.

Oklahoma City opened the Western Conference semifinal series with a strong 108-90 win over the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday night. Chet Holmgren led the Thunder with 24 points and 12 rebounds, while Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Ajay Mitchell scored 18 points each. Even without injured All-Star Jalen Williams, Oklahoma City looked sharp from the start and stayed unbeaten in the playoffs.

The Thunder shot well throughout the game and controlled both ends of the floor. They also forced 17 turnovers from the Lakers and never allowed Los Angeles to build momentum after the opening minutes. LeBron James finished with 27 points for the Lakers, and Rui Hachimura added 18.

But the team clearly missed Luka Doncic, who remains out with a hamstring injury. Austin Reaves also struggled badly, scoring just eight points on poor shooting. Los Angeles started fast and took an early 7-0 lead, but Oklahoma City quickly settled into rhythm and moved ahead by the end of the first quarter.

One of the biggest moments came in the second quarter when Holmgren threw down an alley-oop dunk after a lob pass from Isaiah Hartenstein. During that play, Jarred Vanderbilt injured his finger and did not return to the game. The Thunder carried an eight-point lead into halftime and continued to pull away in the second half.

Ajay Mitchell helped extend the advantage late in the third quarter with a three-pointer while drawing a foul. Oklahoma City stayed in full control from there. Early in the fourth quarter, Alex Caruso added a fast-break dunk that energized the crowd and pushed the lead even higher.

The Thunder now lead the series 1-0 and will host Game 2 on Thursday..