OKLAHOMA CITY — The Lakers opened their two-game set in Oklahoma City with a statement win, shooting a season-best 55% from three and tying a franchise record of 22 triples in a 126-99 rout of the West-leading Thunder on Sunday afternoon—their fourth win in five games.
Los Angeles (48-30) remains third in the Western Conference with four games left in the regular season, gaining crucial ground in a tightly packed race to avoid the play-in. Just two games separate the third through sixth seeds in the West.
The Lakers opened up the game hitting seven of their first nine attempts from three. Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves fueled the early surge, combining for eight of L.A.'s 15 first-half threes against the NBA’s top-rated defense.
Dončić finished with 30 points (seven rebounds, six assists) on 11-of-20 shooting overall—his 23rd 30-point game this season and his 13th since joining the Lakers. Reaves added 20 points on four-of-eight shooting from behind the arc—marking 19 made threes in the last three contests.
"We played with a little pace, and we got to where we wanted to get to offensively," LeBron James said who had 19 points and seven assists. "AR did what he does every single night, and Luka was spectacular. All-around performance by everybody."
In the midst of their biggest surge in the second quarter, Dončić delivered one of his Luka-magic moments that had the entire Lakers bench on their feet and loud cheers from the Paycom Center.
Driving toward the short corner, he whipped a no-look, behind-the-head pass to Gabe Vincent, who was waiting in the corner behind a screen. Vincent caught it in rhythm and drilled the three—one of his four triples in the game as he finished with 12 points.
Luka, are you SERIOUS?! pic.twitter.com/sHxz6heW30
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) April 6, 2025
Riding their hot shooting, the Lakers took control early and led by as many as 29 in the second quarter. They held a high-scoring Oklahoma City team to just three players in double figures, keeping MVP candidate Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to zero attempts from the foul line. He led the Thunder with 26 points.
The Lakers maintained their lead in the second half, answering every run Oklahoma City made to get within reach. L.A. is just the third team this season (in 78 games) to beat the Thunder and keep them from scoring under 100 points.
"We didn't allow them to get out and have enough possessions to get back into the game," head coach JJ Redick said. "They maintained that cushion throughout the game, and that's really hard to do against anyone. Particularly against this time and in this building."
Next Game
The Lakers remain in OKC for a Tuesday rematch before wrapping their road trip Wednesday in Dallas—Dončić's first game back in Texas since the blockbuster trade.
The Thunder will try to avoid a third-straight loss, something they’ve yet to experience this season, as L.A. handed them their second back-to-back losses.