Photo by Joshua Gateley/Getty Images
By Joel Reyes
The Oklahoma City Thunder entered the halftime break with a 61-53 lead over the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 1 of their Western Conference Semifinals series on Wednesday (PH time) at Paycom Center.
Chet Holmgren and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 18 and 12 points, respectively, for the Thunder, who erased an early 0-7 deficit in the first quarter to take control of the series opener.
Photo by Joshua Gateley/Getty Images
The Thunder outscored the Lakers 31-19 the rest of the first quarter to build a 31-26 lead after the opening period. They extended their lead to double-digits at 36-26 before the Lakers unleashed a 9-2 run to cut the deficit to three points at 35-38.
OKC responded with a run of its own, stretching its advantage to as many as 13 points in the second quarter before settling for an eight-point lead at the half.
Photo by Joshua Gateley/Getty Images
LeBron James led the Lakers' offense with 16 points on 7-of-11 shooting. Deandre Ayton added 10 points and 6 rebounds for the Lakers, who suffered a huge loss in the first half with the departure of Jarred Vanderbilt due to a hand injury.