SERIES SCHEDULE
(Best-of-seven, all times are PT)
Game 1: Tues., May 5 – at Thunder, 5:30 p.m., NBC (Ch. 4)/Peacock
Game 2: Thurs., May 7 – at Thunder, 6:30 p.m., Prime Video
Game 3: Sat., May 9 – at Lakers, 5:30 p.m., ABC (Ch. 7)
Game 4: Mon., May 11 – at Lakers, 7:30 p.m., Prime Video
x-Game 5: Wed., May 13 – at Thunder, TBD
x-Game 6: Sat., May 16 – at Lakers, TBD
x-Game 7: Mon., May 18 – at Thunder, TBD
x – If necessary
HEAD-TO-HEAD
The Thunder won the season series, 4-0
Nov. 12: Thunder 121, Lakers 92, at Oklahoma City
Feb. 9: Thunder 119, Lakers 110, at Crypto.com Arena
April 2: Thunder 139, Lakers 96, at Oklahoma City
April 7: Thunder 123, Lakers 87, at Crypto.com Arena
TALE OF THE TAPE
Thunder (reg.-season rank) category … Lakers (reg.-season rank)
64-18 … Season record … 53-29
119.0 (5th) … PPG … 116.3 (11th)
107.9 (2nd) … Opp. PPG … 114.6 (11th)
48.4% (T-5th) … FG Pct. … 50.2% (1st)
36.5% (9th) … 3-point Pct. … 35.9% (14th)
81.7% (3rd) … FT Pct. … 76.3% (26th)
44.1 (T-12th) … Rebounds … 41 (27th)
25.8 (19th) … Assists … 25.9 (17th)
9.7 (T-2nd) … Steals … 8.5 (T-14th)
5.8 (3rd) … Blocked shots … 4.3 (22nd)
12.6 (2nd) … Turnovers … 14.5 (T-15th)
STARTING BACKCOURT
The Lakers have had a month to figure out what their backcourt looks like without league scoring champion Luka Doncic (33.5 ppg), who suffered his left hamstring strain the last time they were in Oklahoma City (April 2). Doncic didn’t return during the Lakers’ first-round series against the Houston Rockets, but Austin Reaves did; a boost to the playmaking for a team that relied upon Luke Kennard and Marcus Smart in starting roles alongside LeBron James for the first four games of the series. Even with Reaves (23.3 ppg) back in the mix, providing the Lakers with more paint touches, which can create open looks on the wings, the Thunder offer a devastating mix of talent among their guards. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (33.1 ppg, 6.6 assists) is the reigning league MVP and the leading candidate to win the award again. Known for his shot-making and creative maneuvers to draw fouls, Gilgeous-Alexander is priority No. 1 for the Lakers, no matter who else is on the court for the Thunder. Defensive-minded Luguentz Dort (8.3 pts) and Ajay Mitchell (13.6 ppg) provide Thunder coach Mark Daigneault with guards who play to his system; hustle-based role players who elevate a star like Gilgeous-Alexander to higher levels. Mitchell only recently joined the Thunder’s starting lineup in place of Jalen Williams (17.1 ppg, 5.5 assists and 4.6 rebounds), who suffered a hamstring strain during the Thunder’s four-game sweep of the Phoenix Suns. EDGE: THUNDER
STARTING FRONTCOURT
It took the Lakers three attempts to close out the Rockets after they sprinted to a 3-0 series lead, but the Lakers were getting a lot out of center Deandre Ayton (11.8 playoff ppg, 10.8 playoff rpg). Ayton had back-to-back double-doubles in Games 4 and 5, tying a career-high for offensive rebounds (10) in the latter, and played as the paint presence that Lakers coach JJ Redick needs him to be to try and match up with OKC. Redick has said that when Ayton is firing, the Lakers play as the best version of themselves. That will need to be the case for them to have any chance. James (20.9 ppg) can still shift a series single-handedly in his 23rd season. His playoff aptitude is second to none, and James helped the Lakers weather a difficult last week, scoring a team-high 28 points as they muscled their way to a series-clinching Game 6 win. Rui Hachimura (51.4% shooting from the field, 44.3% from 3-point range) rounds out the Lakers’ frontcourt against the combination of Chet Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein. Hartenstein helped finish off the Suns with an 18-point, 12-rebound effort in Game 4 after averaging a near double-double (9.2 ppg, 9.4 rpg) during the regular season. He will likely be Ayton’s primary matchup during the series. If there is a yin to Gilgeous-Alexander’s yang, then it’s likely Holmgren (17.1 ppg, 8.9 rpg). The 7-foot-1 point forward/center is a dynamic big man in the modern NBA, spacing the floor well. He scored in double figures in every game in the first round. The Lakers will need the best of Ayton (along with backup center Jaxson Hayes) to slow the likes of Holmgren and Hartenstein. EDGE: THUNDER
BENCHES
Widely considered the deepest team in the league, the Thunder will turn to a variety of their bench options to help spell their stars throughout the series. In the last few regular-season matchups against the Lakers, Thunder guard Isaiah Joe (team-high 42.3% from 3-point range) was scorching hot from behind the arc (12 for 17). So far, in the playoffs, Daigneault has turned to Joe along with Alex Caruso (6.2 ppg) and Cason Wallace (8.6 ppg) off the bench as backcourt options. Look for Aaron Wiggins (9.4 ppg) to get some time as well, although he recently fell out of favor for playoff minutes alongside Jared McCain. Oklahoma City’s best big man option off the bench is Jaylin Williams (7.2 ppg, 5.5 rpg), who logged 21 minutes in one first-round game. The Lakers, however, had the second-lowest-scoring bench in the league (29.3 ppg) and have evolved into a rotation that has seen Jake LaRavia become the first option off the bench, often alongside Hayes midway through the first half as Redick makes his first substitutions of the game. Kennard (league-best 47.8% from 3-point range) is likely to become a role option again with Reaves’ return. But if Kennard can produce some of the high-scoring games he had in the past month, the Lakers could match a spot shooter like Joe with a shooter of their own off the bench and help spell Reaves and James, who will be expected to provide most of the Lakers’ scoring. Bronny James and Jarred Vanderbilt could see minutes for the Lakers, but their opportunities will likely be few. In totality, the Thunder have a substantiated bench plan, while the Lakers’ rotations have been in flux all season long. EDGE: THUNDER
COACHES
Redick deserves credit for what he’s done as the Lakers’ coach this season. It’s not just juggling the injuries to James, Doncic and Reaves throughout the regular season. It’s not just reorganizing rotations for the bulk of the first round, without Doncic and Reaves, to get the most out of Kennard and Smart. There’s a tax that comes with playing or coaching for the Lakers, but Redick has helped this team punch above its weight in most categories considering the current roster construction. Daigneault has gone a step farther, creating a culture that could have the Thunder running the Western Conference for the foreseeable future. The 2024 NBA Coach of the Year has extracted more out of role players than the median NBA coach, pushing veterans and young players alike to play to a specific style that has transformed how professional basketball is played league-wide over the last three years. EDGE: THUNDER
INTANGIBLES
It’s hard to predict what the Thunder would do if/when they are truly pressured, how they might adjust if their backs were against the wall. The truth is, they don’t have to really worry about that. Yes, the Lakers have impressive playoff experience in James and Smart, but these are the defending champs. The Thunder ran through the Lakers in four games during the regular season. Experience goes a long way, especially if the Lakers get Doncic back at some point during the series, but the Thunder have proven adept at navigating every aspect of the playoffs since last spring. This year has been no different so far, and with Gilgeous-Alexander running the show, the Thunder are well built to answer any challenge. EDGE: THUNDER
SERIES PREDICTION
Even accounting for injuries, the Lakers were non-competitive at times in their games against the Thunder this season. The gap between the teams is not about a lack of effort. The Thunder are just that good – picking apart opponents to exploit weaknesses while shooting at a highly efficient clip from the field. They are elite defensively, thrive in transition and were efficient in their half-court offense against the Suns. When the Lakers played a Thunder squad without Gilgeous-Alexander in February, they still lost by nine points. The Lakers were dealt a poor hand with their end-of-season circumstances. But there’s still plenty to point to that the Redick-led operation is heading in the right direction. The first round was proof of that, helping to, as Redick said, “elevate” the Lakers to a level that shocked much of the NBA over the past two weeks. But this is where the journey will end in 2026. I still expect the Lakers to fight, but I’m not sure any team in the West can take down this Thunder squad. THUNDER IN FIVE