Oklahoma City beat the Lakers 125-107 on May 7 and took a 2-0 lead without needing one huge Shai Gilgeous-Alexander takeover. That is the part of this series the Lakers still have not solved. The Thunder can let the ball find someone else, survive a quieter scoring night from their MVP, and still put the game out of reach.
That happened because Ajay Mitchell gave Oklahoma City 20 points and six assists while Chet Holmgren matched Gilgeous-Alexander with 22 points. Holmgren added nine rebounds, four steals and two blocks. Austin Reaves scored 31 and LeBron James had 23 with six assists, but the Lakers were still chasing a roster that kept producing new problems.
The third quarter looked like the real series test
The Lakers were down only one at halftime. Then Oklahoma City won the third quarter 36-22 and the game changed shape. That run mattered because it was not built on one scorer getting hot. The Thunder kept pushing the pace, kept forcing decisions, and kept getting useful offense from secondary creators when Los Angeles loaded up on Gilgeous-Alexander.
Mitchell is the cleanest example. With Jalen Williams still sidelined by a hamstring strain, the Thunder have needed another ballhandler who can keep actions moving when the Lakers send extra attention at the ball. Mitchell did more than survive those possessions. He gave Oklahoma City a real attack option, which let the Thunder keep Shai off the ball at times and still create paint pressure.
Holmgren keeps pulling the Lakers in two directions
The Lakers already entered the matchup with possession and scoring concerns after a first round in which they lost the shot-attempt battle badly. Holmgren makes that math worse. He spaces the floor well enough to drag size away from the rim, then still shows up as the back-line defender when the Lakers finally get downhill.
That is why his stat line matters beyond the 22 points. The steals and blocks show how often he touched both ends of the possession. When the Lakers play smaller, Holmgren punishes them inside. When they play bigger, he still has enough range to pull a center into uncomfortable space.
The Lakers need more than a better shooting night
Reaves and LeBron were efficient enough for this to be competitive, and Rui Hachimura also shot well. The problem is that Oklahoma City still won comfortably because the Lakers are asking a thin, injured roster to solve too many problems at once. The Thunder forced 21 Lakers turnovers, and every empty possession gives their depth more room to matter.
If this series is going to turn in Los Angeles, it probably will not start with a hotter box score from the stars. It has to start with the Lakers shrinking Oklahoma City’s support structure. Through two games, Holmgren and Mitchell have shown that the Thunder’s support structure is the story.
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