CHET Holmgren finished with 24 points and 12 rebounds as the Oklahoma City Thunder cruised past the Los Angeles Lakers, 108-90, on Wednesday, May 6, 2026 (PH time), in Game 1 of their Western Conference semifinal series, the Associated Press (AP) reported.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Ajay Mitchell each added 18 points for the Thunder, who remained unbeaten in the playoffs at 5-0. Oklahoma City continued to thrive even without 2025 All-Star Jalen Williams, who missed his third straight game due to a left hamstring injury. The team shot an efficient 49.4 percent from the field and made 13 of 30 attempts from three-point range.
Game 2 will be held Friday, with the Thunder again hosting.
The Lakers struggled offensively in the absence of scoring champion Luka Doncic, who has been sidelined for a month with a left hamstring injury.
LeBron James led Los Angeles with 27 points, while Rui Hachimura added 18. Austin Reaves, who averaged 23.3 points in the regular season, was limited to just eight points on 3-of-16 shooting.
Oklahoma City, which swept all four regular-season meetings by an average margin of 29.3 points, controlled this game as well. The Thunder held the Lakers to 41.7 percent shooting and forced 17 turnovers.
Los Angeles started strong with a 7-0 run, highlighted by five quick points from James. But Oklahoma City shook off an eight-day layoff and took a 31-26 lead by the end of the first quarter.
A two-handed alley-oop dunk by Holmgren off a lob from Isaiah Hartenstein extended the Thunder’s lead to 48-39 in the second quarter.
The Thunder led 61-53 at halftime despite 16 points from James.
Mitchell, filling in for Williams, delivered a key four-point play late in the third quarter after hitting a corner three and drawing a foul. His free throw pushed the lead to 84-72 heading into the final period.
Alex Caruso’s fast-break dunk early in the fourth quarter gave Oklahoma City an 88-73 advantage, and the Thunder stayed firmly in control the rest of the way.
Pistons take Game 1
Cade Cunningham scored 23 points and Tobias Harris added 20 as the Detroit Pistons defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers, 111-101, in Game 1 of their Eastern Conference semifinal series, AP also reported.
Duncan Robinson chipped in 19 points for the top-seeded Pistons, who snapped an NBA record-tying 12-game postseason losing streak against a single opponent — a skid that dated back to the 2007 Eastern Conference finals.
Game 2 is also set for Friday in Detroit.
Detroit’s defense played a key role, forcing 20 turnovers that turned into 31 points. The Pistons were able to disrupt Cleveland’s backcourt of Donovan Mitchell and James Harden.
Mitchell scored 23 points, ending his NBA-record streak of scoring at least 30 points in nine consecutive series openers. Harden added 22 points, while Max Strus contributed 19 for the fourth-seeded Cavaliers, who rallied to tie the game midway through the fourth quarter after trailing by as many as 18 points. / LBG
