Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 36 points, including 15 in the fourth quarter, and the Oklahoma City Thunder held on for a 101-93 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers in an NBA Cup game on Friday night.

Oklahoma City hands the Lakers a bruising defeat that might leave the defending NBA Cup champions out of the in-season tournament's next stage.

It's Shai Gilgeous-Alexander the Oklahoma City Thunder against LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday night in the NBA Cup at crypto.com Arena.

Defensively, the Lakers caused havoc and dictated the game with their physicality, pushing Spurs phenom Victor Wembanyama away from the paint. Offensively, the ball popped, baskets almost always coming as result of crisp passing, the Lakers recapturing vibes that had evaporated during their three-game losing streak.

But facing LeBron James and Anthony Davis on the second game of a back-to-back is about as tough as it gets from a scheduling perspective – even if the Los Angeles Lakers were in the same boat. A low-energy San Antonio Spurs squad was outmatched all night as they lost to the Lakers,

The Lakers roster finally locked in on defense after repeated criticisms from head coach JJ Redick, holding the Spurs to 36-85 from the field. Seven players scored in double digit