Oklahoma City remains undefeated following a dominant blowout, but Shai Gilgeous-Alexander struggles.
Oklahoma City triumphed in Game 1 over Los Angeles by 18 points. The Thunder moved to 5-0 this postseason. Can they keep their perfect record intact moving forward? Game 2 is set for 8:30 p.m. Central on May 7.
Before mentally moving onto the next clash, check out key takeaways from the Thunder’s Game 1 win.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Struggles
The reigning MVP averaged 33.8 points, eight assists and 2.3 turnovers per game against Phoenix in the first round, but Game 1 versus Los Angeles was a different story.
Gilgeous-Alexander scored 18 points on 8-of-15 shooting from the field and notched six assists compared to seven turnovers. The last time he recorded at least this many turnovers was Game 6 of the 2025 NBA Finals.
He entered the contest with seven full days of rest, so rust was likely a small factor. But Lakers head coach JJ Redick deserves the vast majority of the credit. Los Angeles constantly blitzed and trapped Gilgeous-Alexander in order to get the basketball out of his hands, and its defense was taking away his teammates who were one easy pass away. Overall, the superstar looked uncomfortable throughout the game and shone a spotlight on Jalen Williams’ absence.
How will Mark Daigneault respond in Game 2 so that Gilgeous-Alexander has space to operate?
Chet Holmgren Dominates
Doubling Gilgeous-Alexander meant someone was open, and the Thunder often did a good job of getting the ball to the open man. Chet Holmgren, in particular, racked up a few dunks from proper ball movement.
Holmgren also dominated as a self-created scorer and also made both of his triples. He finished the contest with 24 points, 12 rebounds and three blocks on 9-of-17 shooting from the field. This version of Holmgren is a bona fide All-NBA caliber player. Oklahoma City needs him in top form with Williams sidelined.
Rotation Decisions
Isaiah Joe controlled the “sharpshooter off the bench” role in the first round, but he only played 11 minutes in Game 1 compared to 14 minutes for Jared McCain. Perhaps Daigneault is open to more McCain minutes moving forward because of his off-the-dribble potential? It helps that McCain scored 12 points and sank four triples.
It was surprising to see Kenrich Williams only play one minute in garbage time. He’s one of the Thunder’s stouter defenders off the bench, so he may be able to somewhat slow down LeBron James.
Aaron Wiggins is also out of the rotation at this point. Daigneault could change his mind down the road, but Wiggins’ inconsistent play this season combined with the bench depth means it’s unlikely.