Thunder embarrass the Lakers

POST-SEASON BERTH: The Cleveland Cavaliers punched their Eastern Conference playoff ticket with a victory over the Golden State Warriors

• AFP, LOS ANGELES

NBA champions the Oklahoma City Thunder on Thursday embarrassed the Los Angeles Lakers 139-96 in a blowout made more painful by the early exit of injured Lakers star Luka Doncic.

The marquee showdown between Most Valuable Player contenders Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Doncic fizzled long before Doncic limped out midway through the third quarter with a hamstring injury.

Doncic, who came into the contest leading the league in scoring with 33.8 points per game — ahead of Gilgeous-Alexander’s 31.6 — was emotional as he hobbled toward the sideline.

Moments earlier he had pulled up in apparent pain while driving to the basket.

The Slovenian, who scored 40 or more points in each of his previous three games, was to have an MRI scan yesterday, Lakers coach J.J. Redick said.

“At this point, at this juncture of the season, it’s the last thing you want to see,” Lakers superstar LeBron James said.

It was a brutal reality check for the Lakers. They had won four straight and 13 of their prior 14 as they try to cement their hold on the third seed in the West with the playoffs starting on April 18.

The 43-point margin of defeat was six shy of the worst in team history, a 49-point loss to Dallas in January 2017.

“Nothing is rattled,” James said. “It’s one game.”

Reigning Most Valuable Player Gilgeous-Alexander took some time to find his offensive rhythm, but his Oklahoma City teammates stepped up as the Thunder roared to a 44-21 lead through one quarter.

Thunder guard Luguentz Dort went four of four from the three-point line on the way to 14 points in the opening frame as Oklahoma City harried the Lakers into eight first-quarter turnovers leading to 14 Thunder points.

There was no letup after that, the Thunder dominating on both ends of the floor as they built an 82-51 halftime lead.

“They were obviously playing really good basketball coming in here and so were we,” Gilgeous-Alexander said after the Thunder’s fourth straight victory. “We just wanted to put our best foot forward and see where we stood. We did so. We got off to a good start. We made shots early, but most importantly we got stops defensively. We started the right way and then just rode the roller coaster the rest of the game.”

Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 28 points, seven rebounds and seven assists, while Isaiah Joe added 20 points off the bench for the Thunder.

The Western Conference leaders improved their league-best record to 61-16.

Austin Reaves led the Lakers with 15 points despite struggling with back pain and James added 13 in 26 minutes.

The Thunder maintained their two-game lead atop the West over the San Antonio Spurs, who beat the Los Angeles Clippers 118-99 despite the absence of Victor Wembanyama, who sat out with an ankle issue.

The Cleveland Cavaliers punched their Eastern Conference playoff ticket with a 118-111 victory over the Golden State Warriors.

Donovan Mitchell scored 25 points, Max Strus added 24 and Jarrett Allen had a double-double of 16 points and 13 rebounds for the Cavs.

Gui Santos and Brandin Podziemski scored 25 points apiece for the Warriors, who were again without injured star Stephen Curry.

The Detroit Pistons, trying to hold off the Boston Celtics for top seed in the East, beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 113-108 in a matchup of depleted teams.

Daniss Jenkins scored 26 points, while Jalen Duren added 22 points and 14 rebounds for the Pistons, who were again without star guard Cade Cunningham as he continues to recover from a collapsed lung.

Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards, who returned from a six-game injury absence in a win over Dallas on Monday, was a late scratch with knee pain and illness.

Elsewhere, the Hornets stung the Suns 127-107 and the Trail Blazers punished the Pelicans 118-106.

Additional reporting by staff writer