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The Live Sport Bible is here!Top-seeded Thunder, Pistons extend playoff series leads
AP • May 8th, 2026 5:00 pm
OKC are flying through the post-season, thanks largely to reigning NBA MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander | Photo: AP
Chet Holmgren and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander have each scored 22 points and hosts Oklahoma City beat the Los Angeles Lakers 125-107 to take a 2-0 lead in their Western Conference semi-final series.
Ajay Mitchell had 20 points and Jaren McCain added 18 for the defending-champion Thunder, who improved to 6-0 in the playoffs. The Lakers will be on home court in Saturday's Game 3 (Sunday NZ time).
LA were again without scoring champion Luka Doncic (hamstring) and forward Jarred Vanderbilt (finger) and also had three players finish with five fouls to limit their aggressiveness late in the game.
Lakers guard Austin Reaves scored 31 points on 10-for-16 shooting, while LeBron James, coming off a 27-point effort in Game 1, followed that up with 23.
The silky Austin Reaves led all Game 2 scorers in Oklahoma | Photo: AP
Gilgeous-Alexander left the game with the Lakers up 65-61, but OKC rallied and took control without him.
They outscored LA 32-15 while Gilgeous-Alexander was out in the third quarter to take a 93-80 lead into the fourth. The Lakers cut Oklahoma City's lead to five before the Thunder pulled away again.
Earlier on Thursday (Friday NZT) in Detroit, Cade Cunningham had 25 points and 10 assists, Tobias Harris scored 21 points and the Pistons beat Cleveland 107-97 to take a 2-0 lead in their Eastern Conference second-round series.
The top seeds have won five straight since Orlando put them on the brink of elimination in the first round.
"Cade is just fabulous," Detroit coach J.B. Bickerstaff said.
"He's the killer, the closer, all the adjectives you want to talk about. He's it. In the fourth quarter, he does his best work."
Donovan Mitchell scored 31 points and Jarrett Allen had 22 points and seven rebounds, bouncing back from a poor performance in Game 1 for the fourth-seeded Cavs.
James Harden, though, missed 10 of 13 shots and was limited to 10 points. He had four turnovers, including one with 33 seconds left when Cleveland trailed by just six.
Detroit's Duncan Robinson had 17 points, making five of nine three-pointers, and Daniss Jenkins came off the bench to score 14 points, his third straight game in double figures.
The Cavs made the first shot but didn't lead again until Evan Mobley's dunk put the visitors ahead 81-79 early in the fourth quarter.
Game 3 is Saturday (Sunday NZT) in Cleveland, where the Cavaliers were 4-0 in the first round against Toronto.
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