Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 42 points to lead the Oklahoma City Thunder to a 136-120 home win over the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday.
The Thunder (65-14) snapped a two-game losing streak and set a franchise record for victories in a season. The previous record was set in 1995-96 when the franchise was in Seattle.
Lakers star Luka Doncic was ejected little more than four minutes into the fourth quarter when he picked up his second technical foul of the game.
Doncic appeared to say something to a courtside fan before he was called for the technical foul. Both he and teammate LeBron James argued their case but to no avail and Doncic soon headed for the locker room.
Doncic, who picked up his first technical in the third quarter, finished with 23 points and five assists.
Doncic had just hit a jumper to put the Lakers ahead 108-107. But after the ejection, Los Angeles went more than three minutes without a field goal as Oklahoma City reeled off a 13-4 run that included 3-pointers from Gilgeous-Alexander and Alex Caruso and a three-point play from Jalen Williams.
Gilgeous-Alexander finished with six rebounds, six assists and just one turnover.
After not attempting a free throw in Sunday’s 126-99 Thunder loss to the Lakers, Gilgeous-Alexander was 9 of 11 from the line Tuesday.
Williams added 26 points in the victory.
For the second consecutive game, the Lakers (48-31) tied a franchise record for 3-pointers in a half with 15 in the first.
In Sunday’s win, Los Angeles used that hot shooting from outside to jump to a big lead by the second quarter and the Thunder never seriously threatened in the second half.
But Tuesday, Oklahoma City was able to overcome the Lakers’ hot outside shooting with strong perimeter shooting of its own and strong defense.
Los Angeles was just 3 of 14 from beyond the arc in the second half, including missing all four of its fourth-quarter 3-pointers.
James led the Lakers with 28 points while Austin Reaves added 24.
–Field Level Media
