Despite early foul trouble for their MVP, the Thunder surged ahead due to bench depth and a dominant Chet Holmgren performance.
Oklahoma City trailed 69-64 with 8:35 remaining in the third quarter of Game 2, but the champs ripped off a 25-7 run and never looked back. The Thunder ultimately won the contest by 18 points and now hold a commanding 2-0 series lead.
Check out three key takeaways from the Game 2 win.
Thunder Dominated Minutes Without Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
The reigning MVP was in foul trouble early, as he picked up his fourth foul with 10:34 left in the third quarter. Gilgeous-Alexander wound up sitting for the rest of the quarter, and Los Angeles led by two points when the foul was called.
The situation could have become dicey, but the Thunder rallied and proceeded to outscore the Lakers by 15 points over the next 10 minutes. Ajay Mitchell and Jared McCain were both outstanding during this stretch. They finished the contest with a combined 38 points on 14-of-23 shooting from the field.
Overall, Oklahoma City was +13 during the 21 non-Gilgeous-Alexander minutes. If the champs continue to win the minutes without their MVP, then this series will likely be a sweep.
Chet Holmgren Shines Again
The former second overall pick stuffed the box score to the tune of 22 points, nine rebounds, three assists, four steals and two blocks. Holmgren also shot 63.6% from the field, and the Thunder won his 32 minutes by 19 points.
Whether it was protecting the rim, sinking triples or grabbing key rebounds, Holmgren constantly made winning plays throughout the contest. It’s not a surprise, as he’s a winning player and likely earns All-NBA honors this season.
Holmgren needs to stay aggressive as a scorer in Game 3 because Los Angeles does not have a great defensive option to handle his length and mobility.
Lakers Commit to Doubling Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
Whenever Gilgeous-Alexander had the ball at the top of the key, Los Angeles went to trap him. Its defense employed this strategy in Game 1 and doubled down in Game 2. Head coach JJ Redick is embracing an “anybody but Shai” strategy, which has held Gilgeous-Alexander to 40 total points through two games.
Fortunately, the MVP does not care about his stats and is content to make the right play and rack up hockey assists. If Los Angeles wants to surrender wide-open triples or dunks, then that’s fine with Gilgeous-Alexander.
The Lakers have been successful at getting stops when they leave Luguentz Dort open and use his man to double Gilgeous-Alexander. On the flip side, Alex Caruso has punished Los Angeles when he receives the pass from Gilgeous-Alexander because Caruso excels at baiting the defense to collapse before kicking the basketball out to spot-up shooters.
Look for the Lakers to once again trap the Thunder’s superstar in Game 3 because letting him dictate terms would be a disaster for Los Angeles.