Defending champion Oklahoma City leads its series 2-0 after its latest victory against the Los Angeles Lakers (125-107), as does Detroit, which once again dominated Cleveland (107-97) on Thursday in the NBA conference semifinals.

In the West, the Thunder remain untouchable. After sweeping the Phoenix Suns in the first round (4-0), OKC extended their winning streak to six games with their second victory against LeBron James' Lakers.

With 22 points, the 2025 MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was certainly below his usual stats, but combined with Chet Holmgren's 22 points (nine rebounds), Ajay Mitchel's 20 and Jared McCain's 18, they allowed Oklahoma to finish with an 18-point lead, just like in Game 1.

On the other side, Los Angeles, still without Luka Doncic, hung on thanks to Austin Reaves (31 points) and LeBron James (23), who was playing the 300th playoff game of his career.

The Lakers even led by five points in the third quarter, during which Shai Gilgeous-Alexander returned to the bench after fouling out. But McCain, and then Gilgeous-Alexander himself, put the Thunder back in front against a Lakers team that racked up 21 turnovers in the game.

- The Lakers are complaining about the officiating -

Following a sometimes tense game, Austin Reaves and then the Lakers' coach criticized the officiating. "The Thunder have a few players who commit a foul on every possession," said coach JJ Redick. "It's already tough to play against them, so when they foul, you have to call it." But "we didn't lose because of the referees," he acknowledged.

In the East, after their narrow 111-101 victory in Game 1, Detroit repeated the feat against the Cavaliers. The Pistons, first in their conference but who narrowly avoided elimination in the first round against Orlando, confirmed their excellent form with a fifth consecutive win.

Detroit's top scorer, Cade Cunningham, scored 25 points, including 12 in the final quarter, and dished out 10 assists.

"I just want to win games," Cunningham said. "There have been a lot of close games at the end of the season. The ball is in my hands and I have to do something with it. The pressure and intensity of the moment, the stakes are high. All of that motivates me."

The Cavaliers nevertheless held their own against the Pistons until taking a two-point lead at the start of the fourth quarter, thanks in particular to Donovan Mitchell (31 points) and Jarrett Allen (22).

But Cleveland was hampered at the end of the game by its poor shooting. James Harden, for example, scored only 10 points (3 of 13 shots) and also committed four turnovers, including one in the final minute.

Thanks to Cunningham, Tobias Harris (21 points), and Duncan Robinson (17 points), who hit a three-pointer that put his team back in front, Detroit secured their second victory before heading to Cleveland.