Thunder cruise past Lakers in Game 1 of West semis

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Thunder cruise past Lakers in Game 1 of West semis image

Photo by Joshua Gateley/Getty Images

By Rafael Bandayrel

The Oklahoma City Thunder opened their Western Conference Semifinals campaign with a convincing 108-90 win over the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday (PH time) at the Paycom Center.

Oklahoma City controlled the tempo for most of the night, though Los Angeles managed to hang around early. The Thunder created separation in the third quarter, stretching the lead to double digits before pulling away for good in the fourth.

Even with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander resting late, OKC continued to pour it on, pushing the advantage to as many as 19. The Lakers made one last push to cut it to 14, but could not get any closer.

Isaiah Hartenstein delivered the finishing blows with back-to-back buckets in the final minutes to seal the result.

Photo by Joshua Gateley/Getty Images

Chet Holmgren led the way with 24 points and 12 rebounds, while Gilgeous-Alexander and Ajay Mitchell added 18 points each. Jared McCain chipped in 12, hitting four of his five attempts from beyond the arc.