Thunder sweep Lakers in Game 4, complete NBA playoff sweep
Al Jazeera
Oklahoma City Thunder swept the Los Angeles Lakers with a 115-110 victory in Game 4, advancing to the Western Conference finals with an 8-0 playoff record. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 35 points, while LeBron James had 24 points and 12 rebounds in what could be his final Lakers game. The Thunder will face Minnesota or San Antonio in the next round.
The Oklahoma City Thunder, defending NBA champions, completed a sweep of the Los Angeles Lakers with a 115-110 victory in Game 4 on the road Monday. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's team improved to 8-0 in the playoffs and advanced to the Western Conference finals.
Gilgeous-Alexander scored 35 points to lead the Thunder. Ajay Mitchell added 28 points, Chet Holmgren had 16 points and nine rebounds, and Jared McCain contributed 13 points. The Thunder shot 51.9% from the field compared to the Lakers' 50.7%, and have won all eight meetings against Los Angeles in the 2025-26 season, including the regular season.
For the Lakers, Austin Reaves scored 27 points, Rui Hachimura had 25 points and eight rebounds, and Jaxson Hayes added 18 points. Los Angeles was without Luka Doncic due to a hamstring injury sustained against Oklahoma City on April 2.
LeBron James, 41, had 24 points and 12 rebounds in what could be his final game with the Lakers. James will become an unrestricted free agent after his record 23rd NBA season.
The game was tightly contested, with the Lakers leading 92-87 before Mitchell led the Thunder back to a 95-92 lead on a three-point play. A four-point play by Hachimura and a three-pointer by Marcus Smart put the Lakers ahead 110-109 with 40.9 seconds remaining. Holmgren answered with a dunk to give the Thunder a 111-110 lead. Gilgeous-Alexander made two free throws with 12.2 seconds left to make it 113-110, and Reaves missed a tying three-pointer with eight seconds remaining. Mitchell sealed the win with two free throws with 6.4 seconds to go.
The Thunder will face the Minnesota Timberwolves or San Antonio Spurs in the Western Conference finals.
In other action Monday, the Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Detroit Pistons 112-103 in Game 4 to even the Eastern Conference semifinals at 2-2. Donovan Mitchell scored 39 points in the second half (tied for an NBA playoff record) and finished with 43 points. Mitchell had 21 points in the third quarter for the Cavaliers, who went on a 24-0 run spanning halftime, the largest scoring run in a playoff game in franchise history. Game 5 is Wednesday in Detroit.
