The Oklahoma City Thunder punched their ticket to the Western Conference Finals with a 115-110 win over the Los Angeles Lakers on Monday night. Powered by sensational performances from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Ajay Mitchell, the reigning champions swept the resilient Lakers out of the playoffs.
Gilgeous-Alexander delivered his best game of the second round, tallying 35 points on 11-of-22 shooting along with 8 assists. Mitchell, meanwhile, followed up his playoff career-high of 24 points in Game 3 with an even more impressive 28 points in Game 4, giving the visitors a dynamic duo that proved unstoppable at crypto.com Arena.
Despite the absence of Luka Doncic, the Lakers fought valiantly with a trio of key performances. Austin Reaves poured in 27 points, Rui Hachimura added 25, and LeBron James contributed 24 points and 12 rebounds. Unlike the previous two games, Los Angeles flipped the script: they trailed by just 49-35 at halftime but took the lead after the third quarter.
This marked the first time in these playoffs that the Thunder entered the fourth quarter trailing. In Games 2 and 3, they had dominated the third frame, but this time the Lakers won that period 39-31, giving Purple and Gold hope of staving off elimination.
Late Lakers Surge Falls Short
As the final quarter of Los Angeles’ season began, James and company carried momentum. A block by strongman Jaxson Hayes (18 points) followed by a James score made it 89-84, forcing Thunder coach Mark Daigneault to call a timeout. The defending champions responded with back-to-back three-pointers from Jarred McCain (13 points), part of an 11-3 run that put OKC back in control.
Los Angeles never regained the lead, though they showed grit with the season on the line. Hachimura (95-94), Hayes (97-96), James (99-98), Reaves (102-100), and a four-point play by Hachimura (109-107) kept the margin within a single possession during the final five minutes. But Oklahoma City proved its championship mettle, closing out the game with poise. Two free throws from SGA made it 113-110, and after Reaves missed a critical three-pointer, Mitchell sealed the 115-110 victory from the free-throw line.
The Thunder will face the winner of the series between the San Antonio Spurs and Minnesota Timberwolves in the Conference Finals. As the top seed, Oklahoma City now has time to rest and recuperate before that series begins. The Spurs and Timberwolves are tied 2-2.
