Can Luka Dončić return to action to help the Lakers against Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the top-seeded Thunder?
The top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder were 4-0 against the fourth-seeded Los Angeles Lakers this season, and it was a convincing season sweep.
The Thunder beat the Lakers by an average margin of 29.3 points per game, which was the largest regular-season point differential between two teams from the same conference in 2025-26.
Now, there are caveats. LeBron James, Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves played in the same game just once and were minus-16 in 17.9 minutes. Dončić and Reaves sustained injuries in the April 2 contest, and all three were out for the final meeting a few days later.
Dončić (strained left hamstring) remains out while Reaves just returned from a strained oblique in Game 5 of Los Angeles’ first-round series against the Houston Rockets. If Dončić returns in this series, here’s another stat to consider: The Lakers were outscored by 56 points in the 59 minutes Dončić was on the court against the Thunder.
No matter who is available for the Lakers, they have offensive and defensive puzzles to solve if they want to make this a competitive series against the defending champions.
Series schedule
Here’s how to watch the Thunder vs. Lakers series:
All times Eastern Standard Time
- Game 1: Los Angeles at Oklahoma City | Tuesday May 5 (8:30 ET, NBC/Peacock)
- Game 2: Los Angeles at Oklahoma City | Thursday May 7 (9:30 ET, Prime Video)
- Game 3: Oklahoma City at Los Angeles | Saturday May 9 (8:30 ET, ABC)
- Game 4: Oklahoma City at Los Angeles | Monday May 11 (10:30 ET, Prime Video)
- Game 5: Los Angeles at Oklahoma City | Wednesday May 13*
- Game 6: Oklahoma City at Los Angeles | Saturday May 16*
- Game 7: Los Angeles at Oklahoma City | Monday May 18*
* = If necessary
Regular season results
Top storyline
Thunder’s push to repeat. No team has repeated as champions since the Golden State Warriors in 2017 and 2018, and no team has appeared in consecutive NBA Finals since the Warriors in 2018 and 2019. Oklahoma City made quick work of Phoenix in a first-round sweep, powered by its offense, defense, star power and versatility.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, last season’s Kia MVP and a finalist to win the award again this season, was fantastic against the Suns, averaging 33.8 points, 8.0 assists and 3.8 rebounds and shooting 55.1% from the field and 89.8% on 12.3 free-throw attempts per game.
That depth allowed Thunder coach Mark Daigneault to play 10 players at least 12.8 minutes per game, and just two players (Gilgeous-Alexander and Chet Holmgren) played more than 30 minutes per game against Phoenix.
Keep your eyes on
LeBron James. At 41 years old, James was the best player in the Rockets series, averaging 26.0 points, 9.0 rebounds, 8.5 assists and 1.5 steals and shooting 45.1% from the field and 42.9% on 3-pointers in the four victories. He struggled offensively in the two losses, but nonetheless, he was there when the Lakers needed him in Game 6: 28 points, eight assists, seven rebounds.
Beyond what he can provide against the Thunder with Dončić’s return not likely until possibly later in a long series, James’ future looms large: Will he retire after this season, and could this be his last playoff series if the Lakers don’t advance?
One more thing to watch for each team
For Oklahoma City: Jalen Williams. Williams sustained a grade 1 left hamstring strain in Game 2 against the Suns and missed the final two games of the series. Williams appeared in just 33 regular-season games due to injuries, and his scoring and 3-point shooting took a slight dip. But he’s still a vital contributor and played a significant role in the Thunder’s championship last season.
Obviously, the Thunder know how to win games without Williams, but having him on the court makes the Thunder better and more difficult to beat.
For Los Angeles: The Lakers were held to fewer than 100 points in the final three games of the Rockets series and scored 101 in another game. Yes, Houston has a solid defense, but the Thunder ranked first, allowing 106.5 points per 100 possessions. Holmgren was a finalist for Kia Defensive Player of the Year, and they have multiple players who are All-Defensive Team candidates.
How will the Lakers generate enough points to win four games, especially if Dončić can’t play? Reaves needs to regain his scoring touch quickly, Rui Hachimura needs to continue his outstanding 3-point shooting, and Marcus Smart and Luke Kennard can’t disappear offensively. The Thunder have elite rim protection with Holmgren and have physical perimeter defenders with length.
One key number to know
9.2 — Over their six first-round games, the Lakers averaged 9.2 fewer shot opportunities (field goal attempts or trips to the line) than the Rockets. That was the biggest discrepancy in the first round by a wide margin.
Over the first four games of the series, the Lakers got absolutely destroyed in the possession game, with the Rockets totaling 66 more shot opportunities. L.A. had 22 more turnovers and 36 fewer offensive rebounds than Houston, but still managed to win three of the four games, because they shot much better, especially inside the arc.
That will be a tougher task in this series, and it will also be tough to win the possession game against the Thunder. They averaged 5.2 more shot opportunities than the Phoenix Suns, the second biggest differential in the first round, even though the possession game had been the Suns’ biggest strength in the regular season. Prior to the weekend Game 7s, the Thunder ranked first in turnover rate, second in offensive rebounding percentage and fourth in opponent turnover rate in the first round.
— John Schuhmann
The pick
Thunder in five. Oklahoma City appears focused and has too much talent and depth for the Lakers to overcome in a best-of-7 series.
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Jeff Zillgitt has covered the NBA since 2008. You can email him at [email protected], find his archive here and follow him on X.
