Lakers Hold Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to Shocking Stat in Impressive Win

The Los Angeles Lakers came away with one of their more impressive wins of the season on Sunday. The Lakers captured their 48th win of the season over the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference, the Oklahoma City Thunder, 126-99.

The Lakers controlled the game from tip-off to the final buzzer. It was an impressive display of basketball as they looked more like the team we saw from late January to early March.

With the win, the Lakers remain in the top three in the West, a spot they hope to stay in for the next week as we enter the final week of the regular season. However, more impressive than the win may have been how they defended Thunder MVP hopeful Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

The Lakers' defense was phenomenal, so much so that they did not allow Gilgeous-Alexander to attempt a free throw.

L.A. Times columnist Dan Woike shared via X.

"The Lakers held Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to 0 free-throw attempts for just the sixth time since he joined OKC and the first time since Dec. 18, 2021. Tremendous discipline not to reach."

The Lakers held Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to 0 free-throw attempts for just the sixth time since he joined OKC and the first time since Dec. 18, 2021. Tremendous discipline not to reach.
— Dan Woike (@DanWoikeSports) April 6, 2025

Gilgeous-Alexander has thrived all season long at the line, where he averages 8.9 attempts per game. However, in this matchup, he did not sniff the free-throw line.

The Lakers did a great job in throwing different bodies at him, doubling him when needed, and making others beat them.

While Gilgeous-Alexander did not reach the line, he still put up great numbers, recording 26 points on 12-of-23 shooting from the field, three rebounds, nine assists, one block, and one steal in 30 minutes of action.

The Lakers controlled Gilgeous-Alexander on the defensive end and did all they could, and then some on the offensive end. L.A. was scorching hot, shooting 54.8 percent from the field and 55 percent from beyond the arc.

Although the Lakers committed 10 more turnovers than the Thunder, they outrebounded them 43-34.

The Lakers will stay in Oklahoma City for the next few days, as their next game is against this same Thunder team on Tuesday. The Thunder will go back to the drawing board and look to hand the Lakers a loss.

L.A. will look for more of the same and finish the season strongly.

This win will go a long way for the Lakers, and they'll look to add to that on Tuesday.

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