The reigning champion Oklahoma City Thunder remained undefeated in the playoffs and advanced to the Western Conference Finals.
Published May 12, 2026
The visiting Oklahoma City Thunder defeated the Lakers 115-110 on Monday to advance to the NBA Western Conference finals, with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scoring 35 points and LeBron James’ fourth straight win in what could have been his last game in Los Angeles.
Ajay Mitchell had 28 points, Chet Holmgren had 16 points and nine rebounds, and Jared McCain added 13 points for the Thunder, who improved to 8-0 in the playoffs. Oklahoma City is scheduled to play either the Minnesota Timberwolves or the San Antonio Spurs in the next round.
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The defending NBA champions shot 51.9% from the floor compared to the Lakers’ 50.7%. Oklahoma City won all eight games against Los Angeles in the 2025-26 season, including the regular season.
The Lakers, whose Austin Reeves scored 27 points and Rui Hachimura had 25 points and eight rebounds, head into the offseason with major changes in sight.
James, 41, had 24 points and 12 rebounds. He is set to become an unrestricted free agent after a record 23 seasons in the league.
Jackson Hayes added 18 points for Los Angeles, which played without Luka Doncic (hamstring) throughout the playoffs. Doncic was injured on April 2 against Oklahoma City.
Gilgeous-Alexander made two free throws with 12.2 seconds left for a 113-110 lead, but Reeves missed a 3-pointer that would have tied the game with 8 seconds left. Mitchell sank two free throws with 6.4 seconds left to break the game.
The Lakers trailed by as many as 12 points in the third quarter, but then went on a 22-9 run and got seven straight points from Reaves to take a 76-75 lead with 2:03 left in the period. Los Angeles increased its advantage to 84-80 heading into the fourth.
After the Lakers led 92-87, Mitchell’s 3-point play sparked an 8-0 run that gave Oklahoma City a 95-92 lead with 6:14 left.
Hachimura’s 4-point play followed by Marcus Smart’s 3-point play gave the Lakers a 110-109 lead with 40.9 seconds left. Holmgren’s dunk with 32.8 seconds left gave the Thunder a 111-100 lead.
James missed a floater to Isaiah Hartenstein with 20 seconds left, and Reaves and Smart missed late 3-pointers.
Cavs Rebel Series with Pistons
Earlier Monday, Donovan Mitchell scored an NBA playoff record-tying 39 points in the second half and finished with 43 points to lead the Cleveland Cavaliers to a 112-103 victory over the visiting Detroit Pistons in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference semifinals.
The Cavaliers, who tied the best-of-seven series 2-2, dominated the top-seeded Pistons with a 24-0 record at halftime. This was the most consecutive points scored in a playoff game in franchise history.
On May 10, 1987, in a Western semifinal game against the Los Angeles Lakers, Mitchell scored in the first half of the Golden State Warriors’ Eric “Sleepy” Floyd.
Mitchell was 1-of-8 from the field and had just four points at halftime. After intermission, he made 12 of 18 field goal attempts, 3 of 7 3-point attempts and 12 of 13 free throws in 17 minutes.
“I apologized to the team (at halftime),” Mitchell said on NBC after the game. “…We were trying to set the tone early on offense, and we just couldn’t do that in the first half. I came in and told the guys, ‘That’s my responsibility.’ But I tried to assert myself in the second half.”
Added Cavaliers coach Kenny Atkinson: “Really, an unbelievable performance from Donovan. It’s a big second half for Don. When Donovan starts getting into the open court, that’s when he’s at his best.”
The seven-time All-Star scored 21 points in the third quarter for the fourth-seeded Cavaliers. Game 5 of the series will be played in Detroit on Wednesday.
