Defending Champion Thunder Not Underestimating Lakers in Playoffs

May 1, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward Lebron James (23) makes a layup against the Houston Rockets during the fourth quarter of game six of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Erik Williams-Imagn Images

“They’re well-coached. LeBron has been in this situation — this level of games — more than anybody else in the NBA. We don’t take them lightly. To make it this far in the season, you can get beaten by anybody on any given night. We know, going into this matchup, we have to take them seriously.

“We’ve got to put our best foot forward. That’s what we’ve been focused on all week, getting better, making sure that we are a better team at the end of this week than we were last week. I think we did so,” Gilgeous-Alexander said, per Stiles.

The Thunder swept the Phoenix Suns in the first-round playoff series to advance to the Western Conference semifinals. Meanwhile, the Lakers won three consecutive games against the Houston Rockets but allowed the Rockets to stay alive for two more games until ultimately clinching the series in Game 6.

The Lakers went 0-4 against the Thunder during the regular season. Oklahoma City defeated Los Angeles by 29+ points in three of the four regular season matchups. The closest the Lakers got to taking down the Thunder was on Feb. 9 when it lost 110-119 at Crypto.com Arena.

Pulling off four wins against the Thunder will be a difficult challenge for the Lakers. But as Gilgeous-Alexander said, anybody can be anybody on any given night in the playoffs.

Photo Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

The post Defending Champion Thunder Not Underestimating Lakers in Playoffs appeared first on LA Sports Report.