Player grades: Thunder get their vengeance in chaotic 136-120 win over Lakers

USA Today

09-04-2025

Player grades: Thunder get their vengeance in chaotic 136-120 win over Lakers
OKLAHOMA CITY — Fooled by Jalen Williams' ghost screen, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was left open at the top of the key. Jarred Vanderbilt's late contest wasn't enough as the MVP candidate knocked down a deep pull-up 3-pointer to serve as the dagger.
In one of their best games of the season, the Oklahoma City Thunder pulled off a 136-120 win over the Los Angeles Lakers. Treated as a borderline playoff game, OKC took advantage of a chaotic finish that featured several technical fouls and Luka Doncic's ejection.
After being demolished by the Lakers on Sunday, the Thunder sent a message to the fellow West contender — no bullying for two straight games in this baseball series. They came out guns blazing with an early 23-13 lead. Points came fast from both sides as the opening frame resembled vintage Big 12 football. Both teams were knotted up at 43 points apiece after the first quarter.
The second quarter turned into who'd cool off first. It turned out to be the Lakers. Absent from their last two losses, the Thunder's defensive tenacity returned with a 10-0 run. Alex Caruso destroyed the entire game's flow when he stole the ball from Vanderbilt and crashed into a transition layup. All momentum was on OKC's side.
The Thunder scored 37 points in the second quarter and entered halftime with an 80-72. Much better than the last halftime break between these two teams when the result was already known.
After that, it was the Lakers' turn to shut down the Thunder. While Los Angeles has had a middling defense for the season, it's shown signs of turning up the pressure and being a stout unit. It showed that in the third quarter as OKC's offense struggled to get good looks. The Lakers went on a 19-6 run to completely flip the momentum. LeBron James went from forgettable first half to soul-crushing deep 3-pointers.
During the run, Doncic nailed a deep 3-pointer to give the Lakers the 88-86 lead with a little over five minutes left in the frame. Moments later, he was hit with a technical foul — keep that detail in mind, it'll be important later. Showing how awful the Thunder were in the frame, Cason Wallace stole the final inbound pass but all they could muster was a Lu Dort mid-range jumper that missed.
The Thunder only scored 17 points in the third quarter and exited in a 98-97 deficit. From that point on, both teams went back and forth. They played hot potato with the upper hand as the lead track resembled a hospital heart monitor.
After drilling in a pull-up jumper, Doncic was ejected via his second technical foul. He pleaded his case to the officials as he pointed towards a fan he was going back and forth with. But too little, too late. The Lakers superstar was tossed out and gave the Thunder all the momentum.
At his ejection, the Lakers had a 108-107 lead. Three minutes later, the Thunder suddenly had a 120-114 lead. Williams capped off the run with a running layup and-one opportunity. With a little under six minutes left, Los Angeles only got as close as five points on the scoreboard.
Doncic's absence hung over like a cloud. The Lakers couldn't create generational shot-making. The Thunder exploded for 39 points in the fourth quarter to seal the much-needed win to improve OKC's vibes. Vanderbilt was hit with a technical foul for hitting Williams in the head and several Los Angeles players complained to the referees after the final buzzer sounded for good measure.
The Thunder shot 50% from the field and went 18-of-37 (48.6%) from 3. They shot 14-of-20 on free throws. They had 26 assists on 52 baskets. Five Thunder players scored double-digit points.
Gilgeous-Alexander led the way with an efficient 42 points. Williams stepped up with an efficient 26 points. Dort had 17 points and shot 5-of-8 from 3. Chet Holmgren finished with 14 points on 5-of-12 shooting and four rebounds. Wallace tallied 11 points on 5-of-8 shooting off the bench.
Meanwhile, the Lakers shot 46% from the field and went 18-of-40 (45%) from 3. They shot 28-of-37 on free throws. They had 21 assists on 37 baskets. Four Lakers players scored double-digit points.
James finished with 28 points on 8-of-19 shooting, seven rebounds and three assists. Doncic had 23 points on 7-of-15 shooting and five assists before being ejected. Austin Reaves tallied 24 points on 6-of-12 shooting and went 8-of-12 at the free-throw line. Dorian Finney-Smith scored 12 points and shot 4-of-8 from 3.
This is one of those games where you're overstimulated for hours after the final result. Most Thunder fans likely won't fall asleep until deep into the night as the adrenaline slowly dies. While nothing was technically on the line as OKC clinched the first seed three weeks ago, it needed to remind arguably its biggest obstacle to the NBA Finals why it had one of the greatest regular seasons ever.
Throw in all the hoopla involved with James and Doncic and this turned into a classic that was a rehearsal dinner for the OKC crowd once the playoffs roll around next week. This was the perfect send-off for a regular-season home finale as the Thunder start a three-game road trip to finish their season.
Let's look at Thunder player grades:
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: A-plus
In front of the home fans for one last time before the real games begin, Gilgeous-Alexander tied the perfect bow to what will likely be his first MVP-winning campaign. After being in a heated two-player race for the prestigious award not even a month ago, the only drama left is how large of a margin he'll win by.
It'll be close to unanimous if this game has any lasting effect. After coasting through the last few games, Gilgeous-Alexander reminded the Lakers what he's capable of when he takes this whole basketball thing seriously. He finished with 42 points on 14-of-26 shooting, six rebounds and six assists. He shot 5-of-9 from 3 and went 9-of-11 on free throws.
The Lakers simply had no answer for Gilgeous-Alexander. The three-level scorer did it in all areas of the hardwood. He attacked the paint, was money on his mid-range and his outside shot was pure butter like his Converse signature shoe.
After being in a free-throw drought with two total attempts in the last two games, Gilgeous-Alexander returned to normalcy at the department with double-digit attempts. The Thunder needed that as the Lakers would flirt with 40 attempts just by walking into the building.
In a matchup against James and Doncic, Gilgeous-Alexander was the best player on the floor. He was a constant scorer in all four quarters. Checking in with nine minutes to go, the Thunder simulated what a playoff rotation would look like with their MVP candidate.
Led by Gilgeous-Alexander, the Thunder wanted this one badly. It was their last shot at the Lakers barring a West Finals matchup and they couldn't let them leave OKC with all the confidence in the world. He took over in the fourth quarter with 10 points to put in the final touches of another 40-point masterpiece.
Nothing was at stake, but Gilgeous-Alexander ensured their bad vibes wouldn't snowball into the playoffs. They treated this game like a postseason contest and showed the formula to beat a red-hot Lakers squad.
Jalen Williams: A-plus
Oh, how funny social media posts can age. After a stinker in their first game against the Lakers, Williams was met with vitriol by certain sections of the Thunder fanbase. The same questions that have restrained him for years about how far they can go with him being your second-best scorer popped up again.
Likely reading every criticism, the social-media-savvy All-Star nodded like Cam Newton and mouthed, 'Bet.' Only with him, he stepped up in his next given opportunity. Williams finished with 26 points on 11-of-21 shooting, four rebounds and four assists. He shot 1-of-4 from 3 and went 3-of-3 on free throws.
The Thunder needed Williams to go band-for-band with James and Doncic from the jump and he did. He scored 17 points in the first half with rhythm jumpers and slashy drives to the basket. It didn't take long for the 23-year-old to get in a groove and once he did that, his shot-making upticks a level of near unguardability.
Battling inside a high-intensity environment, Williams stepped up to the mound and played co-closer in the fourth quarter. He scored nine points in the frame and helped Gilgeous-Alexander turn in one last signature win to the best regular season in Thunder and Seattle Supersonics history.
This is the version of Williams the Thunder must see in the playoffs. After drowning in nuances and breakdowns, sometimes a playoff series can be boiled down to the simple truth of who has the best three of five players. For OKC to be the answer, the All-Star must put up these scoring numbers.
Isaiah Hartenstein: A-minus
Meeting a cutting James at the rim, Hartenstein showed no fear of the possibility of being posterized. The two basketball behemoths met at the apex of James' dunk attempt. The result was one of the seven-footer's best blocks of his career. After all these years, the 40-year-old looked his age.
After the double-big lineup was painted as the biggest culprit to the Thunder's blowout loss to the Lakers, it's only fair for the same doubters to give them their flowers for the quick turnaround. Whether strategic or stubborn, OKC stuck to its gun and showed why it's easy to fall back in love with the possibility of two seven-footers on the floor.
Hartenstein finished with eight points on 4-of-7 shooting, 15 rebounds and four assists. He had two blocks and a steal.
The box-score stats don't do Hartenstein justice. They look modest but his impact on the floor was louder. The Lakers couldn't attack the paint and Doncic failed to force him to be a perimeter player like last time. This is the version of the double-big lineup the Thunder need in the playoffs. It's another tool to use if needed and it worked out tonight.
Alex Caruso: A
Needing a tenth of a second to predict his next move, Caruso knew James would touch pass the ball to an open Vanderbilt at the dunker spot. Instead, the 31-year-old jumped up in a volleyball position to intercept the ball. The defensive intelligence and skills were on full display in a pseudo-playoff game.
Caruso finished with nine points on 4-of-9 shooting, four rebounds and three assists. He shot 1-of-2 from 3. He also had three steals and four fouls in his 19 minutes off the bench.
With the playoffs around the corner, we're about to see why the Thunder traded for Caruso. On cruise control for the regular season to save mileage on his legs, the two-time All-Defensive member has ramped it up in recent weeks.
This game showed how Caruso can swing a game in the Thunder's favor. Breaking up possessions and igniting fastbreaks are small margins of wins that add up over time. The box score stats might not be as sexy as Josh Giddey's, but they don't need him to be.
As this game proved, all the Thunder needed was Caruso to play like the defensive tornado he is. If he does that in playoffs, he'll entire OKC folklore as a playoff riser. Speaking of.
Lu Dort: A-plus
With a win like this, let's throw Dort some flowers too. Since his first year, the 25-year-old has earned the moniker of being a big-game riser. Even though nothing was on the line, everybody inside the Paycom Center didn't feel that way.
Dort finished with 17 points on 6-of-11 shooting, three rebounds and two assists. He shot 5-of-8 from 3 and went 0-of-2 on free throws.
After the Thunder role players failed to show up in their loss to the Lakers, Dort led the way for the opposite. Big-time outside bucket after big-time outside bucker previewed what he usually does when the calendar flips to April and May.
Paired with his demoralizing one-on-one defense against Doncic, this was a classic 'Big Game Lu' game against his archrival as his night was cut short due to an ejection.
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