Thunder are close to eliminating the Lakers. Oklahoma City Thunder dominated again in the second half to beat the Los Angeles Lakers 131-108 on Saturday, moving one win away from the Western Conference finals in the NBA, while the duo of Donovan Mitchell and James Harden revived Cleveland’s hopes with a 116-109 win over the Detroit Pistons, cutting the series to 2-1.
In the first game, Ajay Mitchell scored 24 points with 10 assists and no turnovers to lead the Thunder to a 3-0 lead in the best-of-seven Western Conference semifinal series.
The Lakers host Game 4 on Monday, hoping to become the first team in NBA history to overturn a 3-0 deficit and win a playoff series. Lakers coach JJ Redick said defiantly: “I’m not giving up on this series. We’ll try to win on Monday, and we’ll try to extend the series and bring it back to Oklahoma.”
With Slovenian star Luka Dončić still sidelined, the Lakers could not secure a crucial win as the series shifted to their home court. Rui Hachimura was the Lakers’ top scorer with 21 points, while LeBron James added 19 points, 6 rebounds, and 8 assists.
Backed by their depth, the Thunder again imposed their dominance, especially in the second half. Redick said: “That’s their strength as a team.”
Although Canadian star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander made only 7 of 20 shots from the field, Mitchell, who stepped in for the injured Jalen Williams, delivered an impressive performance.
Gilgeous-Alexander, who finished with 23 points, said: “He’s a clutch player. It may be a surprise to everyone, but it’s not a surprise to us.”
Like in Game 2, the Lakers finished the first half with a two-point lead, helped by a strong showing from beyond the arc as they hit 11 three-pointers against the Thunder.
The Thunder surged again in the third quarter, opening with a 21-6 run. That ended the Lakers’ hopes of earning their first win in the series, as they managed only 8 made shots on 22 attempts in the third quarter, including just one three-pointer. Turnovers also mounted, allowing the Thunder to stretch the margin to 27 points in the final quarter.
Gilgeous-Alexander confirmed that the Thunder, who swept the Phoenix Suns in the first round, will “definitely” look to close out the series against the Lakers on Monday. He said: “We never want to waste an opportunity to win a basketball game. We have to do the same thing we did in the first three games: be the aggressor and play the right way as a team.”
In the second game, Cleveland, which lost its first two games in Detroit, kept its perfect home record in the playoffs intact. Mitchell led the Cavaliers with 35 points and 10 rebounds, while Harden added 19 points and 7 assists.
For the Pistons, Cade Cunningham recorded a triple-double with 27 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists. Harden was decisive down the stretch, scoring 9 of his 19 points in a tight fourth quarter, including 3 clutch baskets, among them a decisive three-pointer that gave Cleveland a four-point lead with 25.9 seconds remaining.
Harden said: “I love these moments. When you’re asked to close it out, you have to get to the spots where you know how to play. That’s something I work on literally every day.”
Harden’s modest scoring and late-game mistakes in Games 1 and 2 drew heavy criticism, but the veteran said he handled the noise calmly.
He said: “People will keep talking no matter what, whether you play well or badly. When you give me the chance in the fourth quarter, I take it.”
Cleveland led 64-48 at halftime before extending the gap to 17 points early in the third quarter, before the Pistons began their comeback. The visitors briefly took the lead with less than four minutes left, but Cleveland refused to let the game slip away.
The Cavaliers will try to level the series when they host Game 4 on Monday as well.
