The Oklahoma City Thunder defeated the Los Angeles Lakers 115-110 on the road Tuesday night, completing a dominant 4-0 series sweep and punching their ticket to the Western Conference Finals. The victory extended the Thunder’s playoff winning streak to nine games, tying the longest start to a postseason run in league history.
The game was a tense back-and-forth affair. The Lakers grabbed an early lead behind a late-first-quarter 18-7 run, with Austin Reaves scoring eight points on three perfect field goals. However, the Thunder answered with a massive 17-0 run to open the second quarter, building a double-digit lead they would never relinquish. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had 14 points by halftime, while LeBron James rolled his ankle near the end of the period but returned for the third quarter.
Los Angeles mounted a rally late in the third, taking its first lead of the series in the fourth quarter after a thunderous dunk by Jaxson Hayes over Chet Holmgren. The Lakers pushed the lead to five points in the final period, but the Thunder tied it on a tough three-pointer by Jared McCain. With under a minute to play, Rui Hachimura and Max Smart each converted and-one opportunities to briefly put the Lakers ahead. But Holmgren answered with a two-handed slam over James, giving the Thunder the lead for good. James missed a potential game-tying floater on the Lakers’ final possession, and Oklahoma City sealed the win from the free-throw line.
Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 35 points and eight assists on 11-of-22 shooting. Ajay Mitchell was a perfect 12-of-12 from the field for 28 points. For the Lakers, Reaves recorded 27 points, six rebounds, and six assists, while James added 24 points and 12 rebounds. The Thunder will now await the winner of the series between the Minnesota Timberwolves and San Antonio Spurs, which is currently tied 2-2.