Chet Holmgren leads Thunder to 108-90 Game 1 win over Lakers, gives OKC 1-0 series lead

Chet Holmgren led Oklahoma City with 24 points, 12 rebounds and 3 blocks as the Thunder opened the Western Conference semifinals with a 108-90 win over the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday night at Paycom Center. The victory gave the defending champions a 1-0 lead in the best-of-seven series.

Holmgren’s two-way production set the tone for Oklahoma City, which also got 18 points from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and 18 from Ajay Mitchell. The Lakers were led by LeBron James with 27 points, while Rui Hachimura added 18. Los Angeles got little from guard Austin Reaves, who finished with 8 points on 3-for-16 shooting in a difficult opener for the Lakers.

Oklahoma City played without Jalen Williams because of a left hamstring issue but still controlled Game 1 behind Holmgren’s work inside and steady secondary scoring. The Lakers also lost forward Jarred Vanderbilt during the game after he injured the pinkie on his right hand and did not return. Los Angeles has also been without Luka Doncic for about a month because of a left hamstring strain, though the immediate story Tuesday was the way the Thunder dictated the game even while short-handed themselves.

The result was a strong start for an Oklahoma City team that entered the series as the defending NBA champion and the West’s No. 1 seed after a 64-18 regular season. The Thunder swept the Phoenix Suns 4-0 in the first round. The Lakers, the No. 4 seed at 53-29, now trail the series after being held to 90 points in the opener.