The top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder look to take a commanding 2-0 series lead when they host the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday night in Game 2 of the Western Conference semifinals.
Oklahoma City took a 108-90 victory in Game 1 behind 24 points from Chet Holmgren. LeBron James led all scorers with 27 points in the road loss for LA. The Thunder’s defense controlled the tempo of the game and kept the Lakers from getting hot from beyond the arc.
The Thunder finished the regular season with the best record in the Western Conference at 64-18 and have continued their strong play into the postseason. Oklahoma City averaged 119 points per game this season and has gone 8-2 over its last 10 games while allowing just 108.2 points per contest.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander continues to lead the Thunder with averages of 31.1 points and 6.6 assists per game. Jalen Williams will be out again for OKC with a hamstring injury.
The Lakers face added pressure entering Game 2 after losing star guard Luka Doncic to a hamstring injury. Los Angeles averaged 116.3 points during the regular season, but the offense struggled in the series opener.
Tonight marks the 300th NBA Playoff game for James, who’s in the midst of his 23rd season on the league.
NBA PLAYOFFS HQ: Live scores | Full schedule | Updated bracket
Lakers vs. Thunder live updates, highlights from NBA playoffs Game 2
3rd Quarter- 10:34: Alex Caruso technical foul. Both teams are going at each other. TV timeout.
3rd Quarter- 11:12: The Lakers and Thunder open up the second half with a scoring rush. Lakers hold a 63-61 lead
Halftime: Lakers 58, Thunder 57
Teams combined for 13 points in the final two minutes
Team Stats
| Halftime | Lakers | Thunder |
|---|---|---|
| FG | 23-45 | 24-44 |
| Field Goal % | 51 | 55 |
| 3PT | 7-16 | 5-20 |
| Three Point % | 44 | 25 |
| FT | 5-5 | 4-6 |
| Free Throw % | 100 | 67 |
| Rebounds | 18 | 17 |
| Offensive Rebounds | 5 | 4 |
| Defensive Rebounds | 13 | 13 |
| Assists | 15 | 13 |
| Steals | 5 | 3 |
| Blocks | 0 | 5 |
| Total Turnovers | 8 | 7 |
| Points Off Turnovers | 9 | 7 |
| Fast Break Points | 4 | 5 |
| Points in Paint | 30 | 26 |
| Fouls | 10 | 8 |
| Technical Fouls | 0 | 0 |
| Flagrant Fouls | 0 | 0 |
| Largest Lead | 3 | 11 |
2nd Quarter- 16.3 seconds: Jaxson Hayes jumper puts Lakers up 58-57
2nd Quarter- 1:04: Both teams trading buckets with Alex Caruso hitting a 3-pointer to take a 55-54 lead.
2nd Quarter- 1:44: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander splits free throws before making a jumper to tie the game at 52
OKC games are unwatchable. The refs are even dressed in their colors tn! Brazy
— Lil Wayne WEEZY F (@LilTunechi) May 8, 2026
2nd Quarter- 2:13: TV timeout. Lakers have surged after being down by 11.
2nd Quarter- 2:53: Rui Huchimura hits 3-pointer to break the tie. Lakers up 52-49
2nd Quarter- 4:11: Marcus Smart gives Lakers first lead of the game 46-45
2nd Quarter- 4:33: Teams not missing offensively with Lakers down one and staging a comeback 45-44
2nd Quarter- 5:16: Luke Kennard layup pulls Lakers within one. 43-42 OKC
2nd Quarter- 5:41: Teams trade baskets on consecutive possessions. 43-40 OKC up. The Lakers are hanging around.
2nd Quarter- 6:21: Luke Kennard hits a 3-pointer 41-37 OKC up
2nd Quarter- 8:02: Team are trading buckets with Austin Reaves hitting a 3-pointer. 39-34 OKC up.
2nd Quarter- 9:04: Marcus Smart nails a 3-pointer to put LA within 3. 34-31 OKC leads
2nd Quarter- 9:20: Ajay Mitchell jumper ups OKC lead 34-28
ARE YOU KIDDING ME: #Lakers continuously get the wrong end of call.
BASKETBALL IS A CONTACT SPORT!!
Lebron called for a foul for what? pic.twitter.com/4uKiYtJ1Hz
— FirstDownMedia (@FirstDownMediaa) May 8, 2026
2nd Quarter- 9:51 LeBron James free throws shaves OKC’s lead 31-28
2nd Quarter- 10:19: Marcus Smart layup with a foul for a 3-point play. OKC leads 31-26
#Lakers HC JJ Redick got a technical foul after this altercation with the ref
someone showing fight on this team pic.twitter.com/Mchd8yPNYY
— FirstDownMedia (@FirstDownMediaa) May 8, 2026
2nd Quarter- 11:12: Ajay Mitchell hits jumper 31-23 OKC lead
End of 1st Quarter: Thunder 27, Lakers 23
Team Stats
| 1st Quarter | LA | OKC |
|---|---|---|
| FG | 10-25 | 11-24 |
| Field Goal % | 40 | 46 |
| 3PT | 2-9 | 3-13 |
| Three Point % | 22 | 23 |
| FT | 1-1 | 2-3 |
| Free Throw % | 100 | 67 |
| Rebounds | 10 | 14 |
| Offensive Rebounds | 1 | 4 |
| Defensive Rebounds | 9 | 10 |
| Assists | 6 | 8 |
| Steals | 2 | 2 |
| Blocks | 0 | 4 |
| Total Turnovers | 3 | 4 |
| Points Off Turnovers | 2 | 0 |
| Fast Break Points | 2 | 5 |
| Points in Paint | 14 | 10 |
| Fouls | 3 | 4 |
| Technical Fouls | 0 | 0 |
| Flagrant Fouls | 0 | 0 |
| Largest Lead | 0 | 11 |
1st Quarter- 25.2 seconds: LeBron James layup with OKC up 27-20.
1st Quarter- 1:07: Thunder on 11-0 run to the final minute of the quarter. 27-16 lead.
1st Quarter- 4:03: Austin Reaves with five straight points to tie the game at 16.
1st Quarter- 4:52: LeBron James layup cuts Thunder’s lead 16-11
LeBron with the hard fall right here
-Something to monitor as the game goes on
Fall like this can cause hip pointer pic.twitter.com/CjzC8FJSI9
— Dr. Evan Jeffries, DPT (@GameInjuryDoc) May 8, 2026
1st Quarter- 5:55: Chet Holmgren hits another triple. 14-7 OKC lead
1st Quarter- 7:54: Teams trading buckets with OKC up 11-4
1st Quarter- 8:37: Rui Huchimura gets LA on the board with a jumper. 7-2 Thunder lead
1st Quarter- 8:57: Chet Holmgren hits a 3-pointer with Thunder on 7-0 run to open the game
Playoff game NUMBER 300 for LeBron tonight 👏
Lakers look to even the series in Round 2!
🍿 LAL/OKC Game 2
📺 9:30pm/et on Prime pic.twitter.com/jEGX25XmEz— NBA (@NBA) May 7, 2026
Steve Nash on Austin Reaves and the Lakers:
“I think this Austin Reaves situation, it’s going to be difficult for him. He’s playing the best defense in the league. He’s been out 4-5 weeks. Even if he goes 5/5, they still lose. They’re 15 point dogs every-night. The Lakers I… pic.twitter.com/mPsMfjGs4M
— NBA Courtside (@NBA__Courtside) May 7, 2026
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is a man of the people! SGA signed autographs for more than 5 minutes before heading back to the OKC Thunder locker room after warmups ahead of game 2 vs. Lakers pic.twitter.com/5UywhbDFdA
— Michael J. Duarte (@michaeljduarte) May 8, 2026
Austin Reaves and LeBron James are warming up pregame. AR is hitting all his shots in warmups. Let’s see if he can make them in the game. Lakers vs. Thunder Game 2 is coming up. pic.twitter.com/N0R9v6LmKK
— Michael J. Duarte (@michaeljduarte) May 8, 2026