Lakers Couldn't Handle OKC Thunder's Depth In Game 1

Everyone on the Thunder's roster contributed to an opening win on Tuesday night.

May 5, 2026; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Jared McCain (3) shoots a three point basket against the Los Angeles Lakers in the second half during game one of the second round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images | Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

The Thunder proved to be too much for the Lakers down the stretch. 

Oklahoma City made it known that this is their series to control after beating the Lakers on Tuesday night, 108-90, to take a 1-0 lead in the series. OKC had some rust to knock off after having an extended break due to sweeping the Suns in its first series, but still found a way to power through it and win convincingly. 

A big part of the Thunder’s success was their ability to keep up the attack down the stretch of the game. Of course, this is due to the incredible depth of Oklahoma City’s roster. 

The Thunder, of course, have their firepower right out of the gate with Chet Holmgren going for 24 points and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander putting up 18 of his own. But that is far from where the stacked lineup ends. 

OKC was without star Jalen Williams once again in this opening bout, but Ajay Mitchell was able to step into the opening lineup and thrive with 18 points, four assists and only one turnover in 28 minutes. 

While these individual performances helped fuel the win, it was the Thunder unit as a whole that got the point across. The Lakers had a hard time keeping up, as their bench only scored 15 points, compared to the 29 the OKC bench scored. 

A factor that plays into this is that L.A. doesn’t utilize a majority of its bench. The Lakers run only eight deep, with only three players off the bench getting more than 10 minutes of playing time. This is a night and day difference with OKC, as five players off the bench had at least 10 minutes logged. The lack of rotation made the Lakers grow tired as the game stretched on, especially against an OKC team who remeiand fresh. 

L.A. not being able to keep up was what gave Oklahoma City the distance to finish the game out. The key moment was when Jarred McCain entered the game in the fourth quarter and hit three threes to give OKC all the momentum they needed to sail to the finish line. 

The Thunder’s bench has always been one of the best in the league and has continued to show this off in the postseason. This rounds the team out from head to toe and gives any opponent trouble down the stretch of long games. OKC’s depth is something not every team has and could very well be the key factor in it hoisting its second trophy in a row this year.