Na serious matter wey happen for Crypto.com Arena on Tuesday night as Oklahoma City Thunder just dey hammer Los Angeles Lakers 123-87. The Thunder dem show say dem no dey play at all, especially with Lakers missing plenty of their star players.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander lead the way with 25 points and eight assists. Isaiah Joe for bench come drop six three-pointers finish with 18 points. Chet Holmgren sef get 15 points and 10 rebounds. Jared McCain add another 15 points. Thunder shooting from deep na 51 percent for the night – dem just dey fire from everywhere.
For Lakers side, na real wahala. Dem dey play without Luka Doncic, LeBron James, Austin Reaves, Marcus Smart and Jaxson Hayes. All these players wey dey injured dey contribute about 94.6 points per game normally. Doncic and Reaves no go play again for the rest of the regular season. James just dey rest him left foot wey get arthritis.
Rui Hachimura score 15 points for Lakers. Drew Timme get 11 points. Rookie Adou Thiero score career-high 10 points. But all these efforts no fit match Thunder power.
The game start somehow balanced. Lakers even manage keep am close until middle of second quarter. But Thunder just switch gear. Dem finish the first half with 23-5 run. From there, Lakers only score 22 points for the next 24 minutes of play. Na serious drought.
Even for Lakers bench, small wahala happen. Coach JJ Redick and Jarred Vanderbilt exchange hot words after Redick call timeout and remove Vanderbilt from game just 16 seconds into second quarter. Assistant coaches and players dem come dey separate them until matter cool down. Vanderbilt no play again for the rest of the night.
Thunder victory na their sixth straight win and 18th win for their last 19 games. Dem don sweep the season series against Lakers. For Thunder, this win dey important because dem dey close to clinching top seed for Western Conference playoffs.
Holmgren performance dey impressive. The big man get double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds. He add two steals and two blocks. He shoot 60 percent from the field. For one moment, Holmgren and Timme – wey be former teammates for Gonzaga – exchange special handshake near halfcourt before game start.
Isaiah Joe three-point shooting na another highlight. He shoot three three-pointers for first quarter and make all of them. His 100 percent shooting from deep for first quarter set tone for the whole team.
Even with blowout win, Thunder no dey celebrate too much. Dem know say next game against Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday night na even more important. If Thunder win that one, dem go lock number one seed for good.
For celebrity side, Kate Hudson and Brenda Song dey courtside to watch game. Dem dey with their “Running Point” castmates Scott MacArthur and Drew Tarver. The Netflix series wey dem dey act go return for Season 2 on April 23. Hudson even greet Laker Girls and congratulate UCLA Bruins women’s basketball team wey dem honor during timeout for winning 2026 NCAA National Championship.
Other familiar faces for arena include former Lakers Danny Green and Pau Gasol, reality personality Corey Gamble, and musician Giveon. Los Angeles no dey lack star power even when their team dey struggle.
For Lakers, the injury situation dey affect their playoff positioning. Before Doncic and Reaves get injured last week, Lakers don win 13 of 14 games and dem dey close to third seed. Now dem don lose three straight since those injuries happen.
The remaining games for Lakers dey tough. Dem still get to play Golden State Warriors, Phoenix Suns and Utah Jazz. Without their key players, dem go struggle. Most predictions dey show say Lakers fit finish fourth or fifth seed for Western Conference.
If dem finish fifth, dem go face either Houston Rockets or Denver Nuggets for first round of playoffs. When Lakers team complete this season, dem don beat both teams two times out of three meetings. But with Doncic and Reaves injuries, nobody sure if dem go return fully sharp for Game 1.
Even if Lakers manage pass first round, dem must face Thunder for second round. Thunder don beat Lakers three times this regular season, including 43-point blowout few days back. So road dey tough for Lakers.
For Thunder side, dem dey without Thomas Sorber and Jalen Williams for this game. But dem still dominate. Gilgeous-Alexander even sit out entire fourth quarter because game don finish. Na the 25th time this season wey he dey rest fourth quarter when game don dey blowout.
Cason Wallace, Thunder guard wey dey date UCLA guard Kiki Rice, talk about how proud he dey of Rice after her team win NCAA championship. Rice and her UCLA teammates dem get honored during first quarter timeout.
Thunder now get 63-16 record for the season. Dem remain top of Western Conference. With just three games remaining, dem need just one more win to secure number one seed. Their remaining opponents na Clippers, Nuggets and Suns – all tough teams, but Thunder form dey strong.
As playoffs dey approach, Thunder confidence dey high. Dem show say dem fit handle business even when opponent dey weakened. But dem know say real test dey ahead. For Lakers, dem just dey hope say their injured stars go return on time for playoffs. The season wey start well for dem now dey hang in the balance.
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