sports
Thunder Defeat Lakers 131-108 in Game 3 to Take 3-0 Series Lead
The Oklahoma City Thunder outscored the Los Angeles Lakers 74-49 in the second half en route to a 131-108 victory on Saturday in Los Angeles. The win puts the Lakers one loss from elimination in the best-of-seven series, with no team in NBA history having overcome a 3-0 deficit. Game 4 is scheduled for Monday at Crypto.com Arena.
May 9, 11:50 PM·2m read3 sources
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The Thunder defeated the Lakers 131-108 in Game 3 of their second-round playoff series on Saturday in Los Angeles, taking a 3-0 lead. The teams were competitive in the first half, with the Lakers holding a lead at halftime for the second consecutive game.
The Thunder pulled away decisively after the break, outscoring the Lakers 74-49 in the second half and turning the contest into a rout. LeBron James finished with 19 points, eight assists and six rebounds while Austin Reaves added 17 points, nine rebounds and three assists.
The pair combined for 17 assists but also accounted for eight of the Lakers' 17 turnovers. Rui Hachimura led the Lakers with 21 points on 7-of-14 shooting and Luke Kennard added 18 points on 7-of-10 shooting off the bench. The Lakers received just 39 combined points from those two while the rest of the roster struggled to keep pace.
The Thunder scored 30 points off the Lakers' turnovers. They also generated 44 points from turnovers and second-chance opportunities combined. Ajay Mitchell paced the Thunder with 24 points, 10 assists and four rebounds, shooting 10-for-17 from the field.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the reigning league MVP, finished with 23 points, nine assists and four rebounds despite shooting 7-for-20. Isaiah Joe's back-to-back three-pointers to close the third quarter gave the Thunder a 90-79 lead entering the fourth.
The Lakers responded with a 7-0 run to cut the deficit to five points, but the Thunder answered with two more open threes and maintained a double-digit advantage throughout the final period.
