Thunder pull away from Lakers to 2-0 lead, despite another limited night for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

Let the record show the Oklahoma City Thunder were in a brief bit of trouble in Game 2 on Thursday, before winning 125-107 against the Los Angeles Lakers.

With 10:34 remaining in the third quarter, a single play saw Shai Gilgeous-Alexander pick up his fourth foul, Alex Caruso pick up a technical foul and Austin Reaves get three free throws. He made all three, giving the Lakers a five-point lead and the ball while Gilgeous-Alexander had to sub out. That qualifies as trouble, by Oklahoma City standards.

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And then the Thunder, with their remaining assortment of weapons, won the game.

Despite getting nothing from the reigning MVP and Finals MVP for the remaining 10-and-a-half minutes of the third quarter, the Thunder ripped off a 21-5 run to take the lead for good. They now lead the Western Conference semifinal series 2-0 as it moves to Los Angeles.

The Lakers did recover enough to make it a five-point game in the fourth quarter, but the OKC defense remains a nightmare to come back against. There was palpable frustration for the Lakers throughout the fourth quarter, arguing with the officials on several occasions.

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That continued after the final buzzer, when Reaves was seen leading an airing of grievances with the officials.

Limiting Gilgeous-Alexander to 22 points should be a recipe for success against the Lakers. They have held him to 40 total across two games, the first time that’s happened all season (his previous low across two games: 45 points).

And yet, they are now 0-2 to show for it. In Game 2, it was because Chet Holmgren had 22 points on 11 shots, Ajay Mitchell had 20 points on 12 shots and Jared McCain had 18 points on 11 shots. It’s an unreasonable amount of talent, and the Lakers are still looking for a way to punch through after going 0-4 against them in the regular season.

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With Luka Dončić reportedly unlikely to return during this series, it’s about time for another brainstorming session. Game 3 is scheduled for Saturday (8:30 p.m. ET, ABC) at Crypto.com Arena.