THUNDER at LAKERS | FULL GAME 3 HIGHLIGHTS | May 9, 2026
THUNDER CHARGE PAST LAKERS 131-108 IN GAME 3 FOR ANOTHER BLOWOUT IN THE CHAMPS' 7-0 PLAYOFF RUN
Tonight's Game Observation:
- It's really about habits developed throughout the regular season, it is TURNOVERS for the Lakers, and DEFENSE for OKC. I heard Lebron saying that, "as long as you are being aggressive turnovers are okay". This mindset and the habits developed during the regular season is in full display on the last three blowout games.
What about bad calls from the referees?
It is absolutely true that we are getting majority of the bad calls from officiating but it is not the biggest reason why we are getting blown out.
OKC is simply Shooting and Defending better than the Los Angeles Lakers.
Suggestion:
(I think my suggestion prior to the series is still applicable)
- The biggest asset of the defending champion is their PASSION for playing DEFENSE. I strongly believed that they really find JOY in stopping, or making it difficult for their opponents to score, and make them earn every point they get. The Lakers chances to win the next series will depend on how we match that intensity on defense. In addition, the team needs to play decisively never second guess their decision when making a shot. Playing tentatively on offense only exacerbates our greatest weakness, which is TURNOVERS.
Dear Coach:
- I think we need to SLOW the game down, about 2 shots max per minute.
WHY?
- OKC grabs a lot on defense and most of the time the referees doesn't see it, and by the time they are caught fouling they are already up 20 points.
- So, slowing the game down to a snail pace directs the focus towards the play and grabbing by OKC players becomes more visible to the referees.
HOW DO YOU SLOW DOWN THE GAME?
- Let Lebron James, Austin Reaves, and Marcus Smart play ISO-Offense to pound SHAI and others playing defense. At the same time, make sure Luke Kennard and Rui Hachimura are ready for a pass if and when a double comes. I think it's worth a try.
Next Game:
Game 4 is on Monday.
LOS ANGELES (AP) Ajay Mitchell had career playoff highs of 24 points and 10 assists, and the Oklahoma City Thunder extended their unbeaten playoff run to the brink of another Western Conference finals with a 131-108 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 3 of the second round on Saturday night.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had 23 points and nine assists for the Thunder, who coolly improved to 7-0 - both in these playoffs overall, and in their seven games this season against LeBron James and the Lakers.
Oklahoma City is the NBA's sixth defending champion to start 7-0 in the following postseason after three wins over short-handed Los Angeles by a combined 59 points.
Game 3 was remarkably similar to Game 2 in many respects: The Lakers again had to fight desperately just to keep up with the champs into the third quarter, only for the Thunder to run away with their usual merciless efficiency when LA finally faltered. Chet Holmgren had 18 points and nine rebounds for Oklahoma City, which outscored the Lakers 33-20 in the third quarter and wasn't threatened at all down the stretch.
“I think (the first half) wasn't our best half, and in the locker room we just talked about it and knew that we had to adjust and be better,” said Mitchell, who continued his postseason emergence by scoring at least 14 points for the sixth consecutive game. “I think we did a great job coming out of the half.”
Game 4 is Monday night in Los Angeles.
James had 19 points, eight assists and six rebounds, while Austin Reaves had 17 points and nine assists. But both stars struggled from the field to a combined 12 for 32, and 21 points from Rui Hachimura weren't enough to keep LA in contention with the champs.
“We had moments in the first half that were really good for us,” James said. “In the third quarter, we didn't knock down shots, we didn't defend or get stops and allowed them to take us out of the game.”
Gilgeous-Alexander had his highest-scoring game of the series despite missing nine of his first 11 shots amid another concerted defensive effort by the Lakers on the NBA MVP, albeit with fewer double-teams than in the series' first two games.
“These obviously haven't been my best performances,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “But I think I've been able to help the team win, and that's most important. If the rest of the playoff run or the rest of my career looked like what it looked like the past few games, I'd be OK with it, because we won games.”
Luke Kennard added 18 points for the Lakers, who have lost five of their last six games since midway through the first round against Houston.
“They're an incredible basketball team,” Lakers coach JJ Redick said. “Third straight game we're right there after 2 1/2 quarters. We tried different lineups, different coverages. Still lost those minutes. Again, we've got to be better, but I'm not giving up on the series. We're going to go try to win on Monday. We're going to try to extend the series.”
NBA scoring champion Luka Doncic missed his 14th consecutive game for the Lakers since straining his hamstring April 2 in Oklahoma City. He is not thought to be close to returning from an injury that often requires two months of recovery.
Except for Gilgeous-Alexander, the Thunder all began Game 3 in another shooting groove. Los Angeles still surged to a small halftime lead behind 16 points from Hachimura.
Oklahoma City erased that lead with a methodical surge out of halftime, going up by 13 in the third quarter.
Third-leading scorer Jalen Williams missed his fifth straight game for the Thunder with a strained hamstring.
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