Los Angeles Lakers made a statement on Sunday afternoon, dismantling the Oklahoma City Thunder—widely considered by many as the best team in the NBA—with a commanding 126–99 victory. Leading the charge was Luka Doncic, who not only put on a show but also showed respect to his counterpart, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, following the game.
Doncic outdueled SGA on the court and gave the Thunder star high praise in the postgame interview. “Obviously, first is Shai. I think he’s an unbelievable player. He makes them look like an incredible team, which they are,” Doncic said. “The second thing is their defense. They have a lot of guys who can guard 1 through 5, they can switch, they can control the game with their defense, and they have a lot of weapons.”
Doncic finished with 30 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists, and 2 steals, dictating the pace from start to finish in a wire-to-wire win that underscored why the Lakers remain a dangerous postseason threat.
Balanced effort, lockdown defense power Lakers
While Doncic took center stage, the Lakers got meaningful contributions across the board. LeBron James added 19 points, 3 rebounds, and 7 assists in a steady NBA performance. Austin Reaves poured in 20 points as the secondary scorer, while role players Dorian Finney-Smith (14 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists) and Gabe Vincent (12 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists) provided a spark off the bench.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander #2 of the Oklahoma City Thunder brings the ball up court during the fourth quarter against the Indiana Pacers Paycom Center on March 29, 2025 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
Defensively, the Lakers were locked in. Most notably, they held Gilgeous-Alexander without a single free throw attempt—a first since December 2021—snapping his streak of 248 consecutive games with at least one trip to the line. It was the second-longest such streak in Thunder franchise history since their move to Oklahoma City in 2008.
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LeBron on progress and playoff push
After the win, LeBron James spoke with ESPN’s Dave McMenamin via X (formerly Twitter), offering a grounded take on the team’s ongoing growth. “They know who they are… We’re still trying to figure it out,” James said. “We understand that coming down the stretch we have to play some really good basketball, but we’re still working our habits.”
Finney-Smith on recovery from Warriors loss
Dorian Finney-Smith also addressed his bounce-back performance after a rough showing against Golden State. In recent wins over the Thunder, Rockets, and Grizzlies, Finney-Smith and Vincent have combined to shoot a scorching 27-for-49 from beyond the arc. In the loss to the Warriors, however, the duo struggled mightily, going just 1-for-10.
Asked about the dip in production, Finney-Smith didn’t hesitate. “Make or miss. But running around with Steph don’t help,” he said. Stephen Curry proved to be the difference-maker in that game, torching the Lakers with 37 points, 3 rebounds, and 6 assists—another reminder of just how difficult he is to contain.
