Oklahoma City Thunder crush Los Angeles Lakers as Luka Doncic exits NBA clash injured
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Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic hopping to the side of the court during a play against the Oklahoma City Thunder in the second half at Paycom Center on April 2, 2026.
PHOTO: IMAGN IMAGES
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Los Angeles – National Basketball Association (NBA) champions the Oklahoma City Thunder embarrassed the Los Angeles Lakers 139-96 on April 2 in a blowout made more painful by the early exit of injured Lakers star Luka Doncic.
The marquee showdown between Most Valuable Player (MVP) contenders Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Doncic fizzled long before Doncic limped out midway through the third quarter with a left hamstring injury.
Doncic, who came into the contest leading the league in scoring with 33.8 points per game – ahead of Gilgeous-Alexander’s 31.6 – was emotional as he hobbled off.
Moments earlier, he had pulled up in apparent pain while driving to the basket.
The Slovenian, who has scored 40 or more points in each of his last three games, will have a scan on April 3 (April 4, Singapore time), Lakers coach J.J. Redick said.
“At this juncture of the season, it’s the last thing you want to see,” Lakers superstar LeBron James said.
It was a brutal reality check for the Lakers. They had won four straight and 13 of their previous 14 as they try to cement their hold on the third seed in the Western Conference with the play-offs starting on April 18.
The 43-point margin of defeat was six shy of the worst in team history, a 49-point loss to the Dallas Mavericks in January 2017.
“Nothing is rattled,” James insisted. “It’s one game.”
Reigning MVP Gilgeous-Alexander took some time to find his offensive rhythm, but his Oklahoma City teammates stepped up as the Thunder roared to a 44-21 lead through one quarter.
Thunder guard Luguentz Dort went four of four from the three-point line on the way to 14 points in the opening frame, and Oklahoma City harried the Lakers into eight first-quarter turnovers leading to 14 Thunder points.
There was no let-up after that, with the Thunder dominating on both ends of the floor as they built an 82-51 half-time lead.
“They were obviously playing really good basketball coming in here, and so were we,” Gilgeous-Alexander said after the Thunder’s fourth straight win.
“We just wanted to put our best foot forward and see where we stood. We did so.
“We got off to a good start. We made shots early, but most importantly we got stops defensively. We started the right way and then just rode the roller coaster the rest of the game.”
Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 28 points, seven rebounds and seven assists and Isaiah Joe added 20 points off the bench for the Thunder.
The Western Conference leaders improved their league-best record to 61-16.
Austin Reaves led the Lakers with 15 points despite struggling with back pain and James added 13 in 26 minutes.
The Thunder maintained their two-game lead atop the West over the San Antonio Spurs, who beat the Los Angeles Clippers 118-99 despite the absence of Victor Wembanyama, who sat out with a right ankle issue.
Elsewhere, the Cleveland Cavaliers punched their Eastern Conference play-off ticket with a 118-111 victory over the Golden State Warriors.
The Detroit Pistons, trying to hold off the Boston Celtics for the top seed in the East, beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 113-108 in a matchup of depleted teams.
Timberwovles star Anthony Edwards, who returned from a six-game injury absence in a win over Dallas on March 30, was a late scratch with right knee pain and illness. AFP
