On May 12, the Oklahoma City Thunder defeated the Los Angeles Lakers 115-110 in Game 4 of their NBA playoff series, completing a 4-0 sweep and advancing to the Western Conference Finals. The Thunder had dominated the previous three games, winning by 18, 18, and 23 points, and extended their season series record against the Lakers to 7-0. Throughout the series, Oklahoma City often kept pace with Los Angeles in the first half before pulling away with decisive runs in the second half. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had not been required to carry an overwhelming load through the first three games, averaging just 21 points, while Chet Holmgren and Donovan Mitchell stepped up. The Lakers, now eliminated, fought hard but were ultimately outmatched. LeBron James, at 41, averaged 23 points per game to lead his team, but his stamina was limited, making it difficult to sustain top-level play for 48 minutes. Austin Reaves, returning from injury, struggled with consistency and faced criticism for both his offensive efficiency and defense. Meanwhile, players like Luke Kennard and Marcus Smart saw a decline in performance due to reduced roles.
In the first quarter, LeBron James had a turnover and missed a hook shot, but Deandre Ayton put the Lakers on the board with a putback. Luguentz Dort hit a three for the Thunder’s first points. Rui Hachimura made a mid-range jumper, Isaiah Hartenstein scored inside, James assisted Hachimura on a layup, and then James hit two free throws to give the Lakers an 8-7 lead. The Thunder then went on a 7-0 run to go up by six. The Lakers answered with a 9-0 run to reclaim a three-point lead, with Reaves scoring consistently. Los Angeles led 22-19 before Gilgeous-Alexander ended the Thunder’s scoring drought with a layup. The Lakers added four more points, ending the first quarter ahead 26-21.
The second quarter began with Alex Caruso hitting two threes, and Mitchell scoring four straight points. The Lakers went cold, calling two timeouts that failed to stop the Thunder’s momentum. McCain hit a three, and Oklahoma City went on a 17-0 run to take a 12-point lead. James drew a foul on Dort and made two free throws to end the Lakers’ scoreless stretch. Jaxson Hayes and Reaves then attacked the basket, with Hayes throwing down a highlight dunk, and the Lakers gradually cut the deficit to single digits. Reaves continued to score, keeping pressure on the Thunder. At halftime, the Lakers trailed 45-49.
Halftime stats: Lakers — Reaves 15 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 blocks; James 10 points, 6 rebounds, 1 assist; Hayes 10 points, 3 rebounds; Hachimura 4 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists; Ayton 4 points, 2 rebounds; Smart 2 points, 2 rebounds; Kennard 1 rebound, 1 assist; Vanderbilt 1 rebound. Thunder — Gilgeous-Alexander 14 points, 1 rebound, 4 assists; Caruso 9 points, 1 rebound, 2 steals; Mitchell 8 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals; Dort 6 points; McCain 5 points, 2 rebounds; Holmgren 4 points, 5 rebounds; Hartenstein 3 points, 7 rebounds; Cason Wallace 2 rebounds; Jaylin Williams 1 rebound; Isaiah Joe 1 assist.
In the third quarter, Gilgeous-Alexander hit a fadeaway, Hachimura made a mid-range jumper, Mitchell scored on a fast break, Hachimura added a mid-range jumper and then a three. Mitchell hit a jumper, Gilgeous-Alexander scored on a baseline drive, and Mitchell converted a layup to push the Thunder’s lead to 11. Ayton then scored inside, Wallace hit a three, James drew a foul and made one of two free throws, Hachimura sank another three, Gilgeous-Alexander made two free throws, and James got hot from beyond the arc, hitting two threes to cut the lead to four. Reaves drew a three-shot foul and made all three free throws, bringing the Lakers within one. Gilgeous-Alexander answered with two points, Reaves drove past Holmgren for a layup, then drew a foul and made two free throws to give the Lakers the lead. Mitchell scored over Reaves, Hachimura hit two free throws, Holmgren made two free throws, Hayes threw down an alley-oop dunk, Kennard scored on a layup, and the Lakers led by three. Gilgeous-Alexander drew a foul and added two more free throws, and Reaves missed a driving floater but Hayes put back the rebound. At the end of the third quarter, the Lakers led 84-80.
The final quarter started slowly for both teams. James made one of two free throws, McCain scored a layup, James drove past Mitchell for a difficult score, Mitchell scored over Hayes on a floater, James converted another layup to give the Lakers a five-point lead. McCain then hit a three, Reaves answered with a deep three of his own, Gilgeous-Alexander drew a foul and made two free throws, and McCain hit another three to tie the game at 92. Mitchell then converted a three-point play, Hachimura hit a mid-range jumper, Mitchell missed a layup but Holmgren put it back, Hayes threw down a thunderous dunk, Gilgeous-Alexander hit a turnaround jumper, James drove in for a powerful slam, Gilgeous-Alexander drained a three, Reaves hit a fadeaway, Mitchell answered with a three, and Hachimura matched with a three of his own. Holmgren then scored four straight points to extend the Thunder’s lead to six. Hachimura responded with a three-point play, and the Lakers found themselves down by two in a back-and-forth thriller. Smart, who had made several mistakes late, drove past Holmgren for a three-point play to put the Lakers up by one. But Holmgren answered with a dunk, and after James and Reaves both missed shots, the Thunder secured a 115-110 victory.
James finished with 24 points, 12 rebounds, and 3 assists, shooting 8-of-17 from the field, 2-of-6 from three, and 6-of-8 from the free-throw line. Hachimura was red-hot, especially in the second half and even hit a crucial four-point play. He totaled 25 points, 5 rebounds, and 2 assists on 9-of-15 shooting (4-of-8 from three, 4-of-4 free throws). Reaves showed signs of improvement, posting 27 points, 6 rebounds, and 6 assists on 8-of-14 shooting (3-of-6 from deep, 8-of-9 free throws). Ayton struggled, but Hayes was efficient inside, scoring 18 points and grabbing 5 rebounds on 6-of-8 shooting and 6-of-6 from the line.
For the Thunder, Gilgeous-Alexander stepped up with MVP-like production: 35 points and 8 assists on 11-of-22 shooting and 15-of-17 from the free-throw line. Mitchell continued his explosive series, recording 26 points, 3 rebounds, and 3 assists with 4 steals on 12-of-19 shooting. Holmgren was efficient with 16 points and 8 rebounds on 6-of-9 shooting and 4-of-4 free throws. Caruso contributed on both ends with 9 points, 4 rebounds, and 2 steals on 3-of-5 from three. McCain proved valuable off the bench with 13 points and 2 rebounds on 5-of-10 shooting (3-of-8 from three).
**5 key takeaways from the game:**
1. This was the Lakers’ best performance of the series, with contributions across the board. Hachimura hit a crucial four-point play, and Smart kept hope alive with a late three-point play. But the talent gap was too wide. A respectable exit.
2. The Lakers’ front office faces a tough decision: should they give Reaves a big contract? Playoffs are the ultimate test for star players, and so far, Reaves hasn’t proven himself. Despite his scoring tonight, his defense remains a major liability, and he turned the ball over