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Crossing over Kobe Bufkin, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had an open lane to the basket. He went up for the rare two-handed jam. Just like it was the case five days ago, OKC made light work of a beat-up Los Angeles squad that has seen its ambitions shattered.
The Oklahoma City Thunder had an easy 123-87 win over the Los Angeles Lakers. After a slow start, they completely opened it up in the final three-fourths of the game. They led by as many as 41 points.
From the opening possession, the talent discrepancy was eye-opening. Chet Holmgren pulled out a jail dribble as he went into scorer mode with Los Angeles' faulty frontcourt. Isaiah Joe joined in on the fun. He swished in a deep 3-pointer on the tail-end of the Lakers' midcourt logo.
The Thunder had a 34-27 lead after the first quarter. Trying to keep this competitive for as long as they can, the Lakers found a rhythm to start the second frame. Luke Kennard went to the cup for a difficult finish. That tied things up at 42 points apiece with over seven minutes left in the first half.
Alright then. So the Thunder fell into sleepwalking mode. Surely that means we're about to see an annoying game where the Lakers' hospital squad punches above their weight and keeps it tight? Mmm. Not really. After a timeout, OKC shook off any signs of sleepiness.
More specifically, Gilgeous-Alexander provided a steady hand. The Thunder went on a 23-5 run to end the first half. They put up 31 points in the second frame. And the Lakers couldn't create offense without any real scorers. OKC entered halftime with a commanding 65-47 lead over Los Angeles.
Things only escalated from there. The Thunder completely slammed the door shut. They picked up right where they left off with a game-ending 25-7 run. Gilgeous-Alexander was surgical. Holmgren dominated on the boards. And guys like Joe and Jared McCain couldn't miss from the outside.
As the scoreboard showed some hilarious scores, Gilgeous-Alexander added the final touches to this one. On one possession, he knocked down a catch-and-shoot outside look. The Thunder's offense was in a flow. The ball had great energy. The next possession, he crossed up Bufkin for a rare electric jam.
The Thunder had 28 points in the third quarter. They had a 93-62 lead with a dozen minutes to go. On the other end, the Lakers only mustered 15 points. Pitiful numbers for an NBA team — even with Luka Doncic, LeBron James and Austin Reaves out.
For another game, the fourth quarter turned inconsequential. The TV ratings likely plummeted as OKC households turned off the broadcast to catch some sleep before waking up early for school or work. All 15 Thunder players logged serious minutes. They scored 30 points in the final frame.
The Thunder shot 51% from the field and went 21-of-41 (51.2%) from 3. They shot 12-of-14 on free throws. They had 29 assists on 45 baskets. Five Thunder players scored double-digit points.
Gilgeous-Alexander led the way with 25 points and eight assists. Holmgren had 15 points and 10 rebounds. Joe tallied 18 points and two rebounds. McCain finished with 15 points and two rebounds. Aaron Wiggins scored 10 points.
Meanwhile, the Lakers shot 44% from the field and went 9-of-26 (34.6%) from 3. They shot 14-of-31 on free throws. They had 26 assists on 32 baskets. Five Lakers players scored double-digit points.
Rui Hachimura had 15 points and five rebounds. Kennard finished with 10 points and nine assists. Drew Timme had 11 points and three rebounds. Adou Thiero tallied 10 points and four rebounds. Nick Smith dropped 11 points in garbage time.
Business as usual for the Thunder. Once the Lakers ruled out their three best players, this game was decided before the players even stepped foot in the building. It took a moment for OKC to take full control, but once it did, it completely tsunami'd Los Angeles on the scoreboard as the latter had zero NBA scorers suited up.
Another game where Gilgeous-Alexander and the other Thunder starters enjoyed a short shift. Now that they're fully healthy — aside from Jalen Williams' healthy scratch — they're back to rolling and blowing teams out left and right. Just playing their best basketball at the right time. Now, they're a win away from clinching the NBA's best record and the first seed.
Let's look at Thunder player grades:
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: A
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Looking to post up on Deandre Ayton initially, Gilgeous-Alexander quickly changed his mind. Instead, he dribbled back to face the basket. Moving the ball back and forth between his legs, he stared down Los Angeles' starting center. He calmly pulled for the mid-range jumper that drilled in. Easy work.
Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 25 points on 10-of-15 shooting, eight assists and one rebound. He shot 2-of-2 from 3 and went 3-of-3 on free throws. He also had two steals.
Flexing his efficiency, Gilgeous-Alexander didn't need to add serious mileage to his legs. The Lakers' hospital squad afforded him the luxury to play at half-speed before he clocked out earlier than usual with another sat-out fourth quarter. Shouldn't be a shocker to see Los Angeles fail to have the defenders to have him earn his buckets.
Walking to his spots, Gilgeous-Alexander sliced through Los Angeles' defense without any problem. He also got to his favorite spots in the mid-range at the elbow and nail. A couple of outside jumpers also showed that all three scoring levels were working for him.
Gilgeous-Alexander had 15 points in the first half. He didn't need to go full pedal to the metal with the Lakers. He added 10 points in the third quarter before he took off his sneakers for the final time. To add a little extra flavor, his last bucket was a two-handed jam. You rarely see him get up there like that. But against the short-handed Lakers, might as well have fun.
Pretty ho-hum for Gilgeous-Alexander. With almost everybody suited up, he didn't need to go into Superman mode. Instead, he played within the flow of the offense and helped others get going. At this point, the Thunder feeling collectively confident heading into the NBA playoffs is what matters more than the reigning MVP putting up video-game scoring numbers against a bad team.
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Chet Holmgren: A
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Catching Isaiah Hartenstein's whip pass, Holmgren caught Jake LaRavia in a jail dribble. Back-bumping him out of the way, the 23-year-old jumped up for the finesse floater that swished in. It didn't take long for him to show off his scoring skills.
Holmgren finished with 15 points on 6-of-10 shooting and 10 rebounds. He shot 1-of-3 from 3 and went 2-of-3 on free throws. He also had two blocks and two steals.
No offense to Ayton, but Holmgren enjoyed some easy buckets against a relaxed Los Angeles defense. A couple of breakdowns spoonfed him alley-oops. With a soft touch, he also navigated through a packed paint for a couple of short-range jumpers. Putting up nine points in the third quarter, he helped his cause of clocking out early as he didn't play the final frame.
Elsewhere, Holmgren helped on the boards. He's turned into a double-digit rebound machine. That's been quite the development since the NBA All-Star break. The seven-footer helped the Thunder not get beaten up in that department. They desperately need to learn to rebound the ball when Hartenstein is off the floor. This was a good step in that direction.
The defense remains awesome. Holmgren was in rookie mode. Nobody on the Lakers had the talent to go downhill. They tried to get creative to get buckets, but the lack of a top scorer eventually overwhelmed them. The Thunder showed why they're the league's best defense by holding the Lakers to below 100 points in two games over the last five days.
Isaiah Joe: A-plus
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As the shot clock ticked red, Joe had a few seconds to get a shot up. With Hachimura playing great one-on-one defense, the 26-year-old showed why better offense usually one-ups that end of the floor. He quickly hit the stepback 3-pointer. With his foot near the midcourt logo, he drained the deep outside jumper.
Joe finished with 18 points on 6-of-9 shooting from 3 and two rebounds.
It was pure buckets for Joe. He saw a couple of deep outside jumpers go in. That was enough to feel confident the rest of the way. He had nine points in the first quarter. Playing alongside Gilgeous-Alexander, the Thunder have learned over the years that specific two-man lineup is a cheat code. Can't collapse on the reigning MVP without conceding open looks to the sniper.
Under Los Angeles' bright lights, Joe showed off his range. Almost all of his makes were from well beyond the arc. As the Thunder avalanched the Lakers on the scoreboard, he joined in. A handful of demoralizing deep 3-pointers forced the Lakers to eventually wave the white flag.
The NBA playoffs are around the corner and Joe has been on a heater. Those are two things you want to keep going once the games start to really matter. No question, he's a phenomenal regular-season player. You see him put up some crazy scoring numbers to prove it. Now, it'll be about translating that over to high-leverage situations.
Caffeine rush from these cups of Joe️
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) April 8, 2026
Jared McCain: A
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Relocating from the top of the key to the left corner, McCain played a quick game of tag with Hartenstein. He received the ball right back. Going with the side-fade move, he swished in the outside jumper. Finally, he sees one go through after a mini-slump.
McCain finished with 15 points on 5-of-8 shooting, two rebounds and one assist. He shot 3-of-4 from 3 and went 2-of-2 on free throws.
Been a minute since McCain has had a scoring flurry like this. With the Thunder fully healthy, he's been the odd man out of the rotation. Surely, that says more about their ridiculous depth than it does about the 22-year-old. Just that there is only a finite amount of minutes to hand out.
Given time to get into a rhythm, McCain carved up the Lakers' defense. He had seven points in the second frame as the Thunder ballooned their lead to almost 20 points. He then scored eight points in the fourth quarter of garbage time. Those reps could go a long way for him.
We'll see what McCain's role is in the NBA playoffs. Maybe he could provide some much-needed offense at a certain juncture of games. But in his two months since he arrived in OKC, he's shown enough to be excited about his long-term fit. He's a certified bucket that's helped the Thunder put up points in their second-unit lineups.
Highlights:
This article originally appeared on OKC Thunder Wire: Player grades: Thunder continue to roll with 123-87 win over Lakers
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