The Oklahoma City Thunder began defense of their NBA title by sweeping Phoenix in the first round. They get another challenge from a Pacific Division club in the second round with LeBron James and the Lakers looking for another upset.
Playing without Luka Doncic the Lakers beat Houston in six games in the first round. LeBron turned back the clock scoring 28 points in the series clinching win. LA did get Austin Reaves back to carry some of the offensive load.
Lakers at Thunder Preview
Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinal series between the Los Angeles Lakers and Oklahoma City Thunder is set for Tuesday, May 5, 2026 inside Paycom Center in OKC. Tipoff is scheduled for 8:30 p.m. ET with the contest televised on NBC and streamed on Peacock.
Public Betting Odds Factors
• If there is a championship hangover for the Thunder it certainly didn’t show in the opening series. OKC swept Phoenix winning by an average of 17 points. The sweep also gave them additional rest as they awaited their next opponent.
• The Lakers overcame Houston in the first round with Doncic missing the entire series and Reaves playing only the last two games. And it doesn’t look like Doncic is going to return anytime soon. According to reports Doncic is “not close” to returning.
• Austin Reaves was back in the Lakers lineup in Game 5 against Houston after missing the previous nine. He was rusty making just 4 of 16 field goals, but he did score 22 points to take some of the scoring burden off James. Reaves scored 15 points on 7 of 14 shooting in Game 6.
• The Lakers were stingy on defense, holding Houston to less than 100 points in four of the six games, including a Rockets season-low in the 98-78 Game 6 win. Houston shot just 18 percent from behind the arc and 35 percent overall. Four of the games cashed the UNDER on the NBA Playoffs spread.
• The benefit of having a week off at playoff time is that you can get players back into game shape. The Thunder are hoping to have Jalen Williams available for this series after he missed the last two games of the first round. OKC is 39-10 in games Williams missed.
• OKC dominated the season series winning all four games by an average of 29.3 points. They outscored the Lakers by 72 points at home stretching their overall winning streak to five games with payouts in every one. The Thunder opened as a 16.5-point favorite on the NBA Playoff line.
Lakers at Thunder Predictions
• The Lakers have allowed the second fewest points per game this postseason, but their defense had no answer for OKC’s depth during the regular season. And they had a hard time slowing down Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. In three games SGA averaged 27.7 points on 55.2 percent shooting in just 29 minutes per game. SGA is poised for another strong series after averaging nearly 37 points in the last three games of the Phoenix series.
• LeBron might take the fact that the Lakers are getting 16.5 points personally. It’s the largest point spread ever for a playoff game involving James and being the underdog is motivation for him to keep his club in the game.
Lakers at Thunder Head to Head and Key Stats
• OKC has won the last five meetings by an average of 26.6 points earning the payout each time.
• The last time LA beat the Thunder was in OKC at the end of the 2024-25 season behind a game-high 30 points from Luka Doncic.
• The teams have cashed the UNDER in six of the last nine matchups
