Holmgren has 24 points to help Thunder top Lakers 108-90 in Game 1 of Western Conference semifinals

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Chet Holmgren had 24 points and 12 rebounds, and the Oklahoma City Thunder routed the Los Angeles Lakers 108-90 on Tuesday night in Game 1 of their Western Conference semifinal series.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Ajay Mitchell each added 18 points for the Thunder. The defending champions improved to 5-0 in the playoffs, despite missing 2025 All-Star Jalen Williams with an injured left hamstring for the third straight game. The Thunder shot 49.4% from the field and made 13 of 30 3-pointers.

Oklahoma City will host Game 2 on Thursday.

Los Angeles struggled to find offense without scoring champion Luka Doncic, who has missed the past month with an injured left hamstring. LeBron James scored 27 points and Rui Hachimura added 18 for the Lakers. Austin Reaves, who averaged 23.3 points in the regular season, was held to eight on 3-for-16 shooting.

Oklahoma City won all four regular-season matchups by an average of 29.3 points, and this one was only slightly closer. The Thunder held the Lakers to 41.7% shooting and forced 17 turnovers.

The Lakers ran out to a 7-0 lead, with James scoring five of the points. Eventually, the Thunder shook off the rust from an eight-day break and went up 31-26 at the end of the first quarter, despite 12 points from James.

Holmgren's two-handed alley-oop dunk on a lob from Isaiah Hartenstein put the Thunder up 48-39. Lakers forward Jarred Vanderbilt injured the pinkie finger on his right hand on the play, left the game and did not return.

Oklahoma City led 61-53 at halftime, despite 16 points from James.

Mitchell, who started in Williams' place, made a corner 3-pointer and was fouled by Marcus Smart in the final minute of the third quarter. His free throw put the Thunder up 84-72, a score that held up until the end of the period.

Alex Caruso's fast-break dunk early in the fourth put Oklahoma City up 88-73, and the Thunder maintained control from there.

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Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) drives to the basket as Los Angeles Lakers' Austin Reaves, left, defends in the second half of Game 1 in a second-round NBA basketball playoffs series Tuesday, May 5, 2026 in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/Kyle Phillips)

Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) shoots over Los Angeles Lakers forward Rui Hachimura (28) in the second half of Game 1 in a second-round NBA basketball playoffs series Tuesday, May 5, 2026 in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/Kyle Phillips)

Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James shoots between Oklahoma City Thunder's Ajay Mitchell (25) and Alex Caruso (9) in the first half of Game 1 in a second-round NBA basketball playoffs series Tuesday, May 5, 2026 in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/Kyle Phillips)

Oklahoma City Thunder's Chet Holmgren, left, competes for a loose ball against Los Angeles Lakers' Jaxson Hayes, left, and Rui Hachimura, right, in the second half of Game 1 in a second-round NBA basketball playoffs series Tuesday, May 5, 2026 in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/Kyle Phillips)

Oklahoma City Thunder center Chet Holmgren (7) shoots over Los Angeles Lakers center Deandre Ayton (5) as Ajay Mitchell (25) looks on in the first half of Game 1 in a second-round NBA basketball playoffs series Tuesday, May 5, 2026 in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/Kyle Phillips)

Fox Sports' tradition of going to military installations in honor of Veterans Day will include two firsts this weekend.

This week's “Big Noon Kickoff” and “Fox NFL Sunday” pregame shows will originate from the U.S. Military Academy in West Point, New York, and the Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland.

This marks the first time Fox's college football pregame show will be part of the coverage. It is also the first time the network has done the show from multiple military installations.

Fox Sports CEO and Executive Producer Eric Shanks said the expanded coverage was a nice way to cap off America's 250th birthday celebration.

“We've had an incredible year with the baseball All-Star game and the (IndyCar) race in Washington D.C., and we still wanted to celebrate America 250. Bill Richards, our producer said, 'Why don’t we for the first time ever split the show and honor both service academies, because anytime you go to either one of them, they’re obsessed with each other.' And we thought we would bring that to life.”

This will be the second time Fox Sports has been to West Point and Annapolis. The show has also originated from military bases around the world, including Afghanistan.

“Fox NFL Sunday” host Curt Menefee has long said the Veterans Day show is his favorite one of the season.

“It’s easy to be in a place where people are preaching gloom and doom and the other side’s miserable. But when you get there to visit the service academy and you see all these young people from all around the country and you see the quality and the leadership skills that they have and the way they carry themselves. I mean, it continues your faith in America," Menefee said.

The “Big Noon Kickoff” crew of Rob Stone, Urban Meyer, Matt Leinart, Brady Quinn, Mark Ingram II, Chris “The Bear” Fallica and Tom Rinaldi will be at West Point and show some of the preparations before Army matchup against Air Force.

The "Fox NFL Sunday' team of Menefee, Terry Bradshaw, Howie Long, Michael Strahan, Rob Gronkowski, Jay Glazer, Charissa Thompson, Charles Woodson and Julian Edelman will be split between the two academies.

Quinn is the son of a Vietnam War veteran and founded the 3rd & Goal Foundation in 2011 to support veterans and their families.

“It’s such a big weekend of college football. I hope we’re able to do everything justice, being there at West Point, honoring the cadets, honoring really what they represent and how they’ll serve this country, but also at the same time doing the best we can to give them a great show,” Quinn said. “Veterans have talked about games they watch when they’re serving overseas and how much it meant to them. So we understand the magnitude of being there and what it means to highlight them and make sure we give them the appreciation they deserve.”

See AP’s full NFL coverage here

FILE - A Fox Sports logo displayed on a television camera before an NFL football game between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Washington Commanders Sunday, Sept. 13, 2026, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum, File)