Thunder pull away from Lakers to 2-0 lead, despite foul trouble for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

Jared McCain made his mark for the Thunder in Game 2.

(Joshua Gateley via Getty Images)

Let the record show the Oklahoma City Thunder were in a brief bit of trouble in Game 2 on Thursday, before winning 125-107 against the Los Angeles Lakers.

With 10:34 remaining in the third quarter, a single play saw Shai Gilgeous-Alexander pick up his fourth foul, Alex Caruso pick up a technical foul and Austin Reaves get three free throws. He made all three, giving the Lakers a five-point lead and the ball while Gilgeous-Alexander had to sub out. That qualifies as trouble, by Oklahoma City standards.

And then the Thunder, with their remaining assortment of weapons, won the game.

Despite getting nothing from the reigning MVP and Finals MVP for the remaining 10-and-a-half minutes of the third quarter, the Thunder ripped off a 21-5 run to take the lead for good. They now lead the Western Conference semifinal series 2-0 as it moves to Los Angeles.

The Lakers did recover enough to make it a five-point game in the fourth quarter, but the OKC defense remains a nightmare to come back against.

Limiting Gilgeous-Alexander to 22 points should be a recipe for success against the Lakers. They have held him to 40 total across two games, but are now 0-2 to show for it. In Game 2, it was because Chet Holmgren had 22 points on 11 shots, had 20 points on 12 shots and had 18 points on 11 shots.