Holmgren leads Thunder to dominant Game 1 win over Lakers in 2026

Chet Holmgren scored 24 points with 12 rebounds as the Thunder defeated the Lakers 108-90 in Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals.

Thunder's strong start Chet Holmgren delivered a dominant performance with 24 points and 12 rebounds to lead the Oklahoma City Thunder to a commanding 108-90 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 1 of their Western Conference semifinal series. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Ajay Mitchell each contributed 18 points for the Thunder, while the defending champions improved to 5-0 in the playoffs despite missing 2025 All-Star Jalen Williams due to an injured left hamstring for the third consecutive game. Oklahoma City shot 49.4% from the field and made 13 of 30 three-pointers, including a 41.7% shooting performance against the Lakers. The Thunder held Los Angeles to 17 turnovers while forcing the Lakers into a slow start. ## Lakers struggle without key players The Los Angeles Lakers struggled to generate offense without scoring champion Luka Doncic, who has missed the past month due to an injured left hamstring. LeBron James led the Lakers with 27 points, while Rui Hachimura added 18, but Austin Reaves, who averaged 23.3 points in the regular season, was held to eight points on 3-for-16 shooting. The Lakers' offensive woes were compounded by a costly injury when Jarred Vanderbilt dislocated his right pinky finger during a play involving Holmgren's alley-oop dunk, forcing him to leave the game prematurely. ## Game breakdown by quarters The Lakers started strong with a 7-0 lead, with James scoring five of those points. The Thunder, rusty after an eight-day break, responded by taking a 31-26 lead by the end of the first quarter despite 12 points from James. Oklahoma City extended their advantage to 61-53 at halftime, with James contributing 16 points. In the third quarter, Mitchell's corner three-pointer and subsequent foul by Marcus Smart put the Thunder up 84-72 heading into the final period, a lead they maintained through the fourth quarter. Caruso's fast-break dunk early in the fourth quarter pushed Oklahoma City's lead to 88-73, which they held until the final buzzer. ## Playoff implications and schedule Oklahoma City improved to 5-0 in the playoffs, setting up Game 2 against the Lakers on Thursday in their best-of-seven series. The Thunder won all four regular-season matchups against the Lakers by an average of 29.3 points, and their 18-point victory in Game 1 was only slightly closer. Holmgren's alley-oop dunk sparked a key moment, but Vanderbilt's injury added a setback for the Lakers as they looked to bounce back from their poor start.