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The Thunder tore apart the Lakers again to take a crushing 3-0 playoff lead, while the Cavaliers finally responded to avoid falling into the same hole.
(Credit: AFP)
The Oklahoma City Thunder are suddenly one win away from knocking out LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers.
And the scary part for LA is how comfortably they’re doing it.
The Thunder dismantled the Lakers 131-108 on Saturday to take a commanding 3-0 lead in the Western Conference semi-final series, leaving the Lakers staring at the possibility of a humiliating sweep.
And once again, it all unraveled after halftime.
Despite entering the break with a narrow two-point lead, the Lakers completely lost control in the third quarter as Oklahoma City exploded into life with a brutal 21-6 run that effectively ended the contest.
Ajay Mitchell was the unlikely star of the night. Starting in place of the injured Jalen Williams, the second-year guard delivered the best playoff performance of his career with 24 points and 10 assists without committing a single turnover.
Even Gilgeous-Alexander didn’t need to dominate for OKC to cruise. The Thunder star finished with 23 points despite shooting just 7-of-20 from the field, as Oklahoma City’s depth completely overwhelmed a depleted Lakers side still missing Luka Doncic.
Rui Hachimura top-scored for the Lakers with 21 points, while LeBron James added 19 points, six rebounds and eight assists. But the Lakers simply had no answer once the Thunder increased the tempo.
Still, Redick refused to concede the series.
“I’m not giving up on this series,” he said defiantly. “We’re going to try to win on Monday. We’re going to try to extend the series and we’re going to try to take this thing back to OKC.”
History, however, isn’t exactly on the Lakers’ side. No NBA team has ever recovered from a 3-0 playoff deficit.
Harden Stuns Pistons In The Clutch
Elsewhere, the Cleveland Cavaliers avoided falling into the same hole by beating the Detroit Pistons 116-109 in Game 3.
Donovan Mitchell starred with 35 points, while James Harden delivered in crunch time with nine fourth-quarter points, including a dagger three-pointer late on.
Detroit still lead that series 2-1 despite Cade Cunningham’s 27-point triple-double.
(with AFP inputs)
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