NBA Defending Champions Thunder Crush Lakers for 3rd Straight Game, One Win Away from Western Conference Finals [Video]
The defending NBA champions, Oklahoma City Thunder, defeated the Los Angeles Lakers 131-108, taking a 3-0 lead in the series and are now just one win away from the Western Conference Finals. The Thunder remain undefeated in this year's playoffs with a 7-0 record, while the Lakers are struggling with key player injuries.
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: May 10, 2026 at 13:45
- 🔍 Collected: May 10, 2026 at 14:01 (15 min after Published)
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: May 10, 2026 at 14:04 (2 min after Collected)
Central News Agency
(Central News Agency, Los Angeles, May 9, Comprehensive Foreign Report) The NBA defending champions, Oklahoma City Thunder, continued their undefeated playoff run today. Led by Ajay Mitchell's 24 points, the team defeated the Los Angeles Lakers 131-108 in Game 3 of the series today, putting them just one win away from the Western Conference Finals.
According to the Associated Press, Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander contributed 23 points and 9 assists today, easily pushing the team's playoff record this year to 7 wins and 0 losses. They also became the 6th team in NBA history to reach 7-0 while defending their championship.
The Thunder have a perfect 7-0 record against the Lakers this season, including regular season and playoffs, and have beaten the short-handed Lakers by a total of 59 points in the three playoff games. Game 3 of the Western Conference Semifinals was very similar to Game 2 in many aspects; the Lakers again held on desperately in the first half, but the Thunder pulled away after the third quarter.
The Thunder outscored the Lakers 33-20 in the third quarter, and from then on, it was smooth sailing, securing the win without any threats. Chet Holmgren scored 18 points and grabbed 9 rebounds today.
Lakers' LeBron James scored 19 points, 8 assists, and 6 rebounds today, and Austin Reaves contributed 17 points and 9 assists. However, the two star players combined for only 12 made shots out of 32 attempts. Rui Hachimura's impressive 21-point performance was not enough for the Lakers to remain competitive against the defending champions.
Luke Kennard added another 18 points for the Lakers, who have now lost 5 of their last 6 games since their first-round matchup against the Houston Rockets.
NBA scoring leader and Lakers' key player Luka Doncic missed his 14th consecutive game since pulling his hamstring on April 2. It is believed that he still has some time before returning from injury, as recovery from such injuries typically takes two months.
Despite being heavily guarded, Gilgeous-Alexander made only 2 of his first 11 shots but still scored his series-high today.
Mitchell continued his playoff rise; the Belgian guard scored at least 14 points for the 6th consecutive game, shooting 10-for-17 from the field today, setting a new personal playoff high in scoring.
Aside from Gilgeous-Alexander, other Thunder players also performed well today. The Lakers, on the other hand, relied on Rui Hachimura to keep them in contention in the first half.
Thunder's third-leading scorer Jalen Williams missed his 5th consecutive game due to a hamstring injury. Game 4 between the two teams will be held on the evening of May 11 in Los Angeles. (Compiler: Chu Hsiang-Ping) 1150510
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(Central News Agency, Los Angeles, May 9, Comprehensive Foreign Report) The NBA defending champions, Oklahoma City Thunder, continued their undefeated playoff run today. Led by Ajay Mitchell's 24 points, the team defeated the Los Angeles Lakers 131-108 in Game 3 of the series today, putting them just one win away from the Western Conference Finals.
According to the Associated Press, Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander contributed 23 points and 9 assists today, easily pushing the team's playoff record this year to 7 wins and 0 losses. They also became the 6th team in NBA history to reach 7-0 while defending their championship.
The Thunder have a perfect 7-0 record against the Lakers this season, including regular season and playoffs, and have beaten the short-handed Lakers by a total of 59 points in the three playoff games. Game 3 of the Western Conference Semifinals was very similar to Game 2 in many aspects; the Lakers again held on desperately in the first half, but the Thunder pulled away after the third quarter.
The Thunder outscored the Lakers 33-20 in the third quarter, and from then on, it was smooth sailing, securing the win without any threats. Chet Holmgren scored 18 points and grabbed 9 rebounds today.
Lakers' LeBron James scored 19 points, 8 assists, and 6 rebounds today, and Austin Reaves contributed 17 points and 9 assists. However, the two star players combined for only 12 made shots out of 32 attempts. Rui Hachimura's impressive 21-point performance was not enough for the Lakers to remain competitive against the defending champions.
Luke Kennard added another 18 points for the Lakers, who have now lost 5 of their last 6 games since their first-round matchup against the Houston Rockets.
NBA scoring leader and Lakers' key player Luka Doncic missed his 14th consecutive game since pulling his hamstring on April 2. It is believed that he still has some time before returning from injury, as recovery from such injuries typically takes two months.
Despite being heavily guarded, Gilgeous-Alexander made only 2 of his first 11 shots but still scored his series-high today.
Mitchell continued his playoff rise; the Belgian guard scored at least 14 points for the 6th consecutive game, shooting 10-for-17 from the field today, setting a new personal playoff high in scoring.
Aside from Gilgeous-Alexander, other Thunder players also performed well today. The Lakers, on the other hand, relied on Rui Hachimura to keep them in contention in the first half.
Thunder's third-leading scorer Jalen Williams missed his 5th consecutive game due to a hamstring injury. Game 4 between the two teams will be held on the evening of May 11 in Los Angeles. (Compiler: Chu Hsiang-Ping) 1150510
Choose to stand with facts, every sponsorship is a force to protect press freedom.
Download the Central News Agency "First-hand News" APP to stay updated with the latest news.
Text, images, and videos on this website may not be reproduced, publicly broadcast, or publicly transmitted and used without authorization.