Thunder overwhelm Lakers from the start

The Oklahoma City Thunder turned Thursday night into a one-sided workout, pounding the Los Angeles Lakers 139-96 behind 28 points from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, an aggressive two-way performance from Luguentz Dort and another all-court effort from Jalen Williams.

The win stretched Oklahoma City’s run to four straight games and 16 victories in its last 17. For the Lakers, it ended a four-game winning streak and came with a rather unhelpful bonus problem: Luka Doncic left with a strained left hamstring.

Doncic injury compounds a bad night

Doncic’s injury came in the second half, long after the Thunder had turned the game into a blowout. Early in the third quarter, he drove into the lane and began to rise for a mid-range jumper. As he landed, he grabbed at his left hamstring and went down quickly.

He looked visibly upset as he headed to the locker room. Lakers coach JJ Redick said after the game that Doncic will have an MRI on Friday to determine the severity of the injury.

Before the injury, Doncic was already having a rough time against Oklahoma City’s defense. He missed his first four shots and finished with 12 points on 3-of-10 shooting, tying his second-lowest scoring total of the season.

Oklahoma City made the first quarter decisive

The Thunder did not wait long to take control. They opened up a double-digit lead in less than four minutes and never let the Lakers get closer than nine points after that. By the end of the first quarter, the margin was already 23.

At halftime, Oklahoma City led 82-51.

It was the third time this season the Thunder, now 61-16, had gone to the break with a lead of 30 points or more. Two of those have come against the Lakers. Oklahoma City also led Los Angeles 70-38 at halftime in their meeting on November 12.

Dort and Williams set the tone

Dort and Williams wasted no time making their mark.

Williams opened the scoring with a pull-up jumper on Oklahoma City’s second possession, then forced a turnover and found Dort for a 3-pointer. On the next trip, Dort picked off another pass and finished with a quick dunk.

Dort was perfect in the opening quarter, hitting all five of his shots, including four 3-pointers, and scoring 14 points while adding two steals. He also played a major role in limiting Doncic, who had scored at least 40 points in each of his previous three games and in five of his last seven.

Williams finished with 10 points, nine rebounds and eight assists.

Shortly after Doncic went out, Oklahoma City had a brief scare when Dort crashed to the floor after his legs gave out on a drive to the basket. He got up quickly but headed to the locker room before play resumed and did not return.

Isaiah Joe added 20 points, with 17 of them coming in the second half.

More misery for Los Angeles

The Thunder’s 139 points were the most the Lakers have allowed all season. The 43-point loss was also their worst since a 44-point defeat to Philadelphia in November 2023.

Austin Reaves led Los Angeles with 15 points. The rest of the night, for anyone in purple and gold, was best filed under avoidable but not exactly surprising.