Thunder edge Lakers to finish second-round sweep
thunder-edge-lakers-finish-second-round-sweep
LOS ANGELES — Shai Gilgeous-Alexander poured in 35 points and Chet Holmgren delivered the go-ahead dunk with 32.8 seconds remaining, sealing the Oklahoma City Thunder’s 115-110 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on Monday night and completing a 4-0 sweep in the Western Conference semifinals.
The win moved Oklahoma City to 8-0 in the postseason and into its sixth conference finals in the past 16 years. The Thunder will await the winner of the San Antonio–Minnesota series, which is tied 2-2 heading into Game 5 on Tuesday.
Ajay Mitchell added 28 points, including 10 in a frantic fourth quarter that featured the Thunder’s first late-game deficit of these playoffs. Holmgren finished with the decisive bucket after Los Angeles briefly went ahead, and Gilgeous-Alexander iced the game with two free throws in the final seconds.
LeBron James, wrapping up an unprecedented 23rd NBA season, had 24 points and 14 rebounds but missed a driving bank shot with 20 seconds left that would have put the Lakers back in front. Austin Reaves scored 27 points but came up short on a potential tying three-pointer with eight seconds to go. Rui Hachimura chipped in 25, nine in the fourth quarter.
Los Angeles reached the second round despite losing NBA scoring leader Luka Dončić to a Grade 2 hamstring strain on April 2 in Oklahoma City. The injury sidelined him for the final 15 games, and he remained in street clothes for Monday’s finale. The Lakers dropped six of their last seven playoff contests and have now fallen short of the conference finals for a third consecutive season.
Oklahoma City had won the first two games of the series at home by 18 points apiece and cruised 131-108 in Game 3, but Game 4 turned into a battle. Holmgren’s dunk with 2:03 remaining gave the Thunder a 109-103 cushion before Hachimura converted a four-point play. Marcus Smart’s three-point play with 55 seconds left put Los Angeles ahead 110-109, setting the stage for Holmgren’s decisive slam inside the final minute.
Source: ESPN.com
