The Los Angeles Lakers eliminated the Houston Rockets in six games to punch their ticket to the Western Conference Semifinals for a matchup with the reigning NBA champion Oklahoma City Thunder.
It represents the Lakers’ biggest challenge yet as the Thunder finished the regular season with an NBA-best 64-18 record behind one of the deepest rosters in the league, led by MVP candidate Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
L.A. unsurprisingly is considered a massive underdog, but they were in the same exact spot against the Rockets and managed to pull off the upset. While Kevin Durant missing most of the series played a part in that, the Lakers also had to navigate key injuries.
Luka Doncic didn’t play against Houston and will miss at least the start of the series in Oklahoma City as he continues to recover from a Grade 2 left hamstring strain. Austin Reaves was also sidelined until Game 5, which forced LeBron James to take on a bigger role offensively.
With Reaves back and James playing some of his best basketball as a Laker, the team feels like they have a fighting chance to take down the Thunder. But it won’t be easy, even with Jalen Williams potentially unavailable for the start of the second round due to a Grade 1 left hamstring strain.
The Thunder won all four of their regular-season matchups against the Lakers by an average margin of nearly 27 points, with key players on both teams missing some of those games. However, the playoffs are a different beast as teams can lock in on one singular opponent, and L.A. is aware of what they need to do to pull off another upset.
Nov. 12, 2025 @ Oklahoma City: Thunder 121, Lakers 92
The Lakers’ first regular-season matchup with the Thunder was lopsided from start to finish as L.A. trailed OKC by 12 points after the first quarter and 32 points at halftime.
James didn’t suit up for the Lakers, and the Thunder were without Williams and Luguentz Dort in the matchup. Doncic led L.A. with 19 points, while Gilgeous-Alexander scored a game-high 30 for OKC.
Feb. 9 @ Los Angeles: Thunder 119, Lakers 110
The second regular-season matchup between the Lakers and Thunder was much closer, but it still went in Oklahoma City’s favor despite Gilgeous-Alexander missing the game. L.A. also didn’t have Doncic, though they nearly completed a comeback win without him.
The Thunder took a small two-point lead into the final 12 minutes of regulation, but were able to create some separation thanks to Williams scoring 10 points in the fourth quarter. He led all players with 23 points, with James providing 22 for L.A.
April 2 @ Oklahoma City: Thunder 139, Lakers 96
The Lakers and Thunder met for the third time in the regular season on April 2, which saw all five starters on both teams suit up. However, it was also the biggest blowout of any of the four matchups.
OKC took a commanding 23-point lead after the first quarter and expanded that to 31 by halftime. They kept pouring it on in the second half and at one point led by 46 points.
Gilgeous-Alexander led all players with 28 points, and Isaiah Joe contributed 20 off the bench. Reaves scored 15 points for the Lakers, with James adding 13 and Doncic providing 12.
April 7 @ Los Angeles: Thunder 123, Lakers 87
The final regular-season matchup between the Lakers and Thunder was a continuation of OKC’s domination over L.A. The Thunder carried an 18-point lead into halftime and outscored the Lakers in both the third and fourth quarters as well.
Injuries played a significant role in the outcome as the Lakers were without their big three of James, Doncic and Reaves, in addition to Marcus Smart and Jaxson Hayes also missing the game. The Thunder had all of their starters except for Williams.
Gilgeous-Alexander recorded 25 points and eight assists for the Thunder, with Joe scoring 18 off the bench. Rui Hachimura led the Lakers with 15 points, with Drew Timme and Nick Smith Jr. adding 11 each.
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