Thunder Score 3-0 as Oklahoma City Wins 23-Point Game 3

Thunder score: Oklahoma City beat the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 3 by 23 points and moved to a 3-0 lead in the second-round series. The Thunder are now seven games into the playoffs without a loss, while the Lakers are one defeat from elimination after failing at home.

Oklahoma City Puts Game 3 Away

The Thunder turned Game 3 into another double-digit win, their third straight against the Lakers in this series. No NBA team has ever advanced after falling behind 3-0, so the Lakers return to Game 4 with a hole that has ended every postseason run before.

LeBron James had one of the visible moments in the loss when he knocked down a three-point basket against Oklahoma City. Austin Reaves was part of a Lakers group that could not stop the Thunder from extending the margin again, and the absence of Luka Doncic left Los Angeles without another key option.

Thunder Run Stays Clean

Oklahoma City’s playoff start has been almost spotless. The Thunder beat the Houston Rockets in the first round, opened the postseason with a 35-point win over the Phoenix Suns in Game 1, and have now stacked seven straight playoff victories to begin the run.

That streak puts the No. 1 seed in a tied-for-fourth place spot for the longest run by a defending NBA champion in league history, and the team’s +128 point differential through seven games has not been matched by any previous champion at that stage. Alex Caruso and Ajay Mitchell were among the Thunder names in the story, but the larger point is the same: Oklahoma City has not dropped a game and has not needed a close finish to keep rolling.

Lakers Face Game 4 Pressure

The Lakers now face Game 4 with the series at 3-0 and no margin left for another slip. They need one win just to force another game, but the Thunder’s three victories over Los Angeles have all come by double digits, and the pattern has left the series on the brink before the fourth game even begins.