LOS ANGELES –– Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 36 points to lead the Oklahoma City Thunder (15-4) to a 101-93 NBA Cup victory over the Los Angeles Lakers (11-8) Friday night before 18,997 at crypto.com Arena.
After winning the inaugural NBA Cup championship, the Lakers' loss to the Thunder eliminated them from the quarterfinals, ending their quest to repeat.
Los Angeles conceded 20 points off turnovers, while Oklahoma City surrendered five points. The Thunder outshot the Lakers from the deep at a 32.5 percent to 28.9 percent clip.
The Thunder carried a 51-48 lead into the half.
Down four with 22.4 seconds remaining, Austin Reaves turned the ball over, which led to a Jalen Williams dunk, giving Oklahoma City a 99-93 advantage.
Williams scored 19 points, Isaiah Hartenstein had 11 points and 18 rebounds.
Dalton Knecht led the Lakers in scoring with 20 points, and Anthony Davis had 15 points and 12 rebounds. D'Angelo Russell scored 17 points and nine rebounds off the bench.
Up Next:
The Thunder travel to Houston on Sunday.
On Sunday, Los Angeles travel to Salt Lake City to face the Utah Jazz.