LOS ANGELES — Grabbing Isaiah Hartenstein‘s pass among a sea of Los Angeles defenders, Chet Holmgren waited for traffic to clear. After a quick series of pivot steps, the seven-footer soared up in the air to throw down the two-handed jam. The go-ahead bucket with 32 seconds to go served as redemption.
The Oklahoma City Thunder survived their first nail-biter of the 2026 NBA playoffs with a 115-110 Game 4 win over the Los Angeles Lakers. They complete the Round 2 sweep with the 4-0 series win.
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For the first time in these NBA playoffs, the Thunder had to play what resembled an actual playoff game. Neither team could gain a serious separation. Both stayed within a few possessions of each other for most of the night. After the first quarter, OKC was in a 26-21 deficit.
Feeling the tiniest shred of adversity, the Thunder had their second-unit lineup completely change the game’s dynamics. Alex Caruso made back-to-back 3-pointers. Ajay Mitchell muscled the ball out of Austin Reaves‘ possession for a transition layup. On the defensive end, the Lakers were completely locked down.
The Thunder started the second quarter with 17 consecutive points. LeBron James finally ended a six-plus-minute scoring drought at the free-throw line. Even though they had quite the start to the frame, OKC only put up 28 points. It entered halftime with a modest 49-45 lead over the Lakers.
Coming out of the break, the Thunder went with their usual second-half punch. Gilgeous-Alexander found Cason Wallace for the corner 3-pointer. That put them ahead 66-54 with a little under eight minutes to go in the third quarter. Just as soon as it felt like OKC would put this away, the Lakers wouldn’t go down without a fight.
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Rui Hachimura caught fire. That’s been a theme throughout the entire playoff series. The Lakers starter couldn’t miss from deep. When needed the most, he provided a jolt of energy for Los Angeles. In their least-composed quarter of the NBA playoffs so far, the Thunder tallied 31 points. But none of it mattered as they yielded 39 points to the opposition — matching nearly its first-half total.
For the first time in a while, the Thunder were behind the eight-ball. They were in an 84-80 deficit after the third quarter. In front of a fully alive Los Angeles crowd, Mitchell went straight at several defenders in the paint. Bad idea. It allowed James to throw down the easy fastbreak layup to put Los Angeles by five points with over eight minutes to go.
All momentum was on Los Angeles’ side. Eventually, the Thunder settled down. Adding to his breakout series, Jared McCain tied things up with a sidestep 3-pointer. Knotting up at 92 points apiece with under seven minutes to go, we were heading straight toward a close finish. Both teams went back and forth. Neither could get ahead by a possession or two.
Eventually, though, the Thunder manufactured breathing room. Holmgren converted on back-to-back buckets to give OKC a 109-103 lead with two minutes left. After putting them in a winning situation, he almost single-handedly tanked all of his goodwill within a couple of possessions.
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Holmgren made the costly mistake of fouling Hachimura on a 3-pointer. A 4-point play later, the Thunder left the door open for the Lakers. The seven-footer once again committed a consequential foul when Marcus Smart got by him for the and-one layup. Just like that, the Thunder were behind in a 110-109 score with 40 seconds to go. Yikes. They flirted with an epic collapse.
After the two big-time fouls, Holmgren salvaged his adventurous final two minutes. He waited for traffic to clear before going up for the two-handed dunk. Big-time play. Up 111-110 with 32 seconds, the Thunder needed their league-best defense to get a series-clinching stop.
As the ball found its way into James’ hand, the Thunder buckled down. The 41-year-old got by Caruso, but couldn’t bank in the go-ahead attempt. His floater hit the back of the rim. Isaiah Hartenstein sealed the game-clinching rebound. With 12 seconds left, Gilgeous-Alexander swished in two critical free-throw attempts.
One last chance to save their year, Reaves rushed an outside jumper that he badly missed. Mitchell made a couple of free throws as the final points of a gusty road playoff win — something OKC hasn’t been asked to do until this game. They had 35 points in the final frame to seal their second straight series sweep.
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The Thunder shot 52% from the field and went 11-of-31 (35.5%) from 3. They shot 20-of-24 on free throws. They had 19 assists on 42 baskets. Four Thunder players scored double-digit points.
Gilgeous-Alexander led the way with 35 points and eight assists. Mitchell helped out with 28 points and four assists. Holmgrne had 16 points and nine rebounds. McCain scored 13 points off the bench.
Meanwhile, the Lakers shot 51% from the field and went 10-of-28 (35.7%) from 3. They shot 24-of-27 on free throws. They had 18 assists on 38 baskets. Four Lakers players scored double-digit points.
James had 24 points and 12 rebounds. Reaves finished with 27 points and seven rebounds. Hachimura had 25 points and five rebounds. Jaxson Hayes tallied 18 points and five rebounds off the bench.
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A pretty thrilling way to end another series sweep for the Thunder. Once the bracket was finalized, I think we all penciled OKC enjoying a pretty easy cakewalk to the Western Conference Finals. But still, for it to play out like that without zero hiccups flexes just how historic the reigning NBA champions are. It took some drama near the end, but their Round 2 series against the Lakers was pretty skippable.
After a below-his-gold-standard start, Gilgeous-Alexander returned to playing like a probable back-to-back MVP winner. Mitchell and Holmgren had their moments against the Lakers one last time to officially slam shut the door. Mostly running it back with the same roster, you’re seeing the vast difference between this year’s grizzled squad and last year’s puppy-eyed team going through the wringer for the first time in the NBA playoffs.
Let’s look at Thunder player grades:
Getting deep into the paint, Gilgeous-Alexander planted his foot. Circling Hachimura, the reigning MVP went with the fadeaway turnaround jumper that rattled in. On the next possession, he danced with the Los Angeles starter once again before he drained a stepback 3-pointer.
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Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 35 points on 11-of-22 shooting, eight assists and one rebound. He shot 1-of-4 from 3 and went 12-of-15 on free throws. He also had one steal.
Welcome back, Gilgeous-Alexander. In time, too. After three straight subpar games, he showed why he’s on his way to back-to-back MVP trophies as well as being penciled into the same group as other all-time greats like Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant. Knowing the closeout game of a playoff series is usually the toughest to get, he returned to being an efficient 30-point scoring machine.
The jumper finally returned for Gilgeous-Alexander. His longtime friend had abandoned him for most of the first three games. His shot chart has several filled-in circles scattered throughout the mid-range and inside of the paint. When those didn’t fall, his drive-heavy mentality generated a busy night at the free-throw line. Something that’s been lacking in this series.
Turning things up in the second half, Gilgeous-Alexander had 21 points. With the Lakers fading away from their extreme double-team gimmick, the 27-year-old welcomed one-on-one looks. Back-to-back fourth-quarter buckets showed he was fully back to being a one-man win machine. When he wasn’t putting up points, he dissected Los Angeles’ defense by finding the open man. A full-on clinic by one of the NBA’s best scorers ever.
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If you’re going to rank all of Gilgeous-Alexander’s playoff series, this is probably near the bottom of the list. It was a pretty forgettable four games where his below-average numbers mattered very little. But when push came to shove with closing this out, he was the one to carry the Thunder to the finish line.
After a couple of low-leverage NBA playoff series, Gilgeous-Alexander will see the competition level uptick tenfold — regardless of whether it’s the San Antonio Spurs or Minnesota Timberwolves. The Thunder earned the right to have a stress-free journey to the Western Conference Finals. Now, they’re two high-leverage series wins away from the reigning MVP to enter some serious legacy discussions.
Getting a one-on-one look with Smart, Mitchell swayed the ball back and forth. Crossing him up, he got past the former Defensive Player of the Year. The 23-year-old went up for the floater as he had his legs taken out mid-air in a collision. He quickly got up from the dangerous play to show he was in the zone.
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Mitchell finished with 28 points on 12-of-19 shooting, four assists and three rebounds. He shot 1-of-4 from 3 and went 3-of-3 on free throws. He also had four steals.
What a perfect way to cap off Mitchell’s superstar series. He became a household name as the Thunder’s second-best player in a Round 2 sweep over the star-studded Lakers. Saving his best game for last, he provided a much-needed Robin-esque scoring talent to complement Gilgeous-Alexander.
Slicing through Los Angeles’ defense, Mitchell got to the cup at a frequent rate. Nobody on the Lakers was quick or athletic enough to scare him off from going downhill. When he wasn’t busy doing that, he pulled up from his favorite spots around the mid-range.
Helping put the Lakers away, Mitchell scored 20 points in the second half. He bulldozed his way to the rim. There’s zero fear in his mind when he crashed into a packed paint. Pair that with a soft touch on his floaters, and you cook up a superbly-efficient scoring night you rarely see in the NBA playoffs — much less by a second-year player.
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Once again, the Thunder survived Gilgeous-Alexander’s rest minutes. You can thank Mitchell for that. Since Jalen Williams went down, he’s been a seamless fit as OKC’s second-best player. It’s been surreal seeing him put up these types of numbers on a national stage. They might have mostly the same roster, but you’re seeing the biggest difference between last year’s and this year’s squad.
Cutting baseline, Holmgren caught Hartenstein’s balloon-esque pass. With James and Reaves hoping for either a stop or turnover, the 24-year-old showed off his polished footwork. Waiting for traffic to clear out, he went up for the two-handed dunk that served as the go-ahead bucket.
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Holmgren finished with 16 points on 6-of-9 shooting and nine rebounds. He shot 0-of-2 from 3 and went 4-of-4 on free throws. He also had one steal.
As the adage goes — it’s not about how you start, but how you finish. Holmgren can attest to that. It took eight games, but he finally had his first NBA playoff stinker. Not just with the low-scoring numbers, but also on defense. The Lakers completely ripped apart OKC’s usual stellar defense. They shot 58% inside the paint. For the first time in a while, the seven-footer couldn’t shut off the water faucet.
The beauty of NBA basketball is that you’re required to play out the standard 48 minutes. When it looked certain Holmgren would finish with a poor night, he was given a new sleeve of chances to change the narrative. In a close contest, he had eight points in the fourth quarter. That’s a complete rewrite of his game.
Among a handful of dunks, Holmgren’s biggest happened as he navigated several defenders. Usually dependent on others to get easy looks, this time, the All-Star created his own look. To encapsulate just how much he’s grown as a scorer, he finessed his way through multiple Lakers defenders to get up for the jam that put the Thunder ahead for good.
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Talk about a make-up bucket, too. If not for that, Holmgren is likely painted as the biggest reason why the Thunder couldn’t close things out. He committed a 3-point shooting foul on Hachimura on a hastened closeout. A few possessions later, he couldn’t stop Smart from going at him for the and-one layup.
This might’ve been his most forgettable of the four games, but Holmgren came up with big-time plays in the fourth quarter. On both ends. That’s all that really matters as the Thunder completed the routine Round 2 sweep. Even at his worst, his floor has shown him to be a high-impact starter who’s smart at picking his spots.
Sliding over to the left corner, McCain’s relocation skills paid off. Caruso kicked it out to him. The 22-year-old quickly swished in the outside jumper. Needing to keep up with the Lakers, his bucket served as the tying score at 92 points apiece.
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McCain finished with 13 points on 5-of-10 shooting and two rebounds. He shot 3-of-8 from 3.
All of the attention is on Mitchell’s breakout, but McCain deserves some love. He’s established himself as someone who can help the reigning NBA champion collect playoff wins — which is quite the statement considering he suited up for G League games just five months ago.
Helping the Thunder stay within striking distance, McCain scored eight points in the fourth quarter. He once again showed he’s not afraid to let it fly — even under one of the NBA’s most stressful environments. If you had to rank OKC’s five best players from this Round 2 series, the two newbie guards have gotta be in there.
The rich get richer. McCain’s addition was viewed as found money. Nobody could’ve reasonably expected him to contribute right away. Especially in the NBA playoffs. And yet, here we are. As Mitchell graduated into a starter, he became OKC’s go-to bench scorer. Talk about a firework-esque series for him.
