The Oklahoma City Thunder will face the Los Angeles Lakers in the 2026 NBA playoffs after both teams won their Round 1 matchups. The Thunder swept the Phoenix Suns, while the Lakers defeated the Houston Rockets in six games.
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Nov 12, 2025; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) drives to the basket between Los Angeles Lakers forward Rui Hachimura (28) and guard Austin Reaves (15) during the first quarter at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images
After a four-day wait, the Oklahoma City Thunder have finally learned their Round 2 opponent in the 2026 NBA playoffs. They will face the Los Angeles Lakers. A 98-78 Game 6 win over the Houston Rockets punched their ticket to the final eight teams.
The Thunder completed a routine Round 1 sweep over the Phoenix Suns with a Game 4 win this past Monday. They were in cruise control for most of the playoff series as they outmatched the Suns in every area. Since then, they've been chilling.
Meanwhile, the Lakers avoided the unthinkable. After going up 3-0 over the Rockets, they finally delivered the knockout punch with a Game 6 win. LeBron James led his squad to the series win as they continue to be without Luka Doncic.
In their season series, the Thunder had a 4-0 record against the Lakers in four matchups. Let's look back at all five games as they prepare to battle it out in the 2026 NBA playoffs:
The Oklahoma City Thunder and the Los Angeles Lakers are competing in the Round 2 of the 2026 NBA playoffs.
The Thunder completed a sweep of the Phoenix Suns in their Round 1 playoff series.
LeBron James led the Lakers to their Round 1 playoff victory over the Houston Rockets.
The Lakers won the series against the Rockets in six games, securing their spot in the playoffs.
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Nov 12, 2025; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) drives between Los Angeles Lakers guard Austin Reaves (15) and guard Marcus Smart (36) during the second quarter at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images
All the way back to the first few weeks of the regular season, the Thunder sent a message to the Lakers — you're nowhere near our level. This was an unreal showing by OKC. It led by as many as 37 points. This game was over by halftime as the scoreboard showed some wacky numbers.
Gilgeous-Alexander had an easy 30 points and nine assists. He didn't need to put too much effort. Six other Thunder players put up double-digit points. Most notably, Isaiah Joe had 21 points off the bench. Maybe he can have a similar moment in this NBA playoff series.
The biggest takeaway was just how much the Thunder took away from the Lakers' high-octane offense. They committed an unreal 20 turnovers. Doncic was pedestrian with 19 points on 7-of-20 shooting. If that happens again, this will be a quick series. Important to note that both LeBron James and Jalen Williams were out foe this matchup.
A full recap can be read here.
Feb 9, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Jalen Williams (8) drives to the basket against Los Angeles Lakers forward Luke Kennard (10) during the first half at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images
This one had weird circumstances. Gilgeous-Alexander and Doncic were both out due to injuries. That means you can just throw this out in the trash bin. Funny enough, this was the closest game of the four. That said, the Thunder were in firm control for most of it.
Williams returned from his first hamstring strain. He had 23 points and shot 11-of-13 on free throws. In a close game, the All-NBA talent closed things out in the fourth quarter. Maybe he could do the same in this NBA playoff series. Depending on when he returns. Joe had 19 points and Alex Caruso had 17 points. Both bench players could be due for a big series.
Meanwhile, James had a pedestrian 22 points and 10 assists. While everybody else pitched in, nobody else really stood out. The Thunder showed that even when the Lakers' offense normalizes to normal shooting splits, they can find ways to still get close wins.
A full recap can be read here.
Apr 2, 2026; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) shoots from under the basket against the Los Angeles Lakers during the second quarter at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images
As both teams entered with red-hot win streaks, this was a case of deja vu from their November matchup. The Thunder absolutely humiliated the Lakers once again. It was their way of showing there are levels to this whole contention thing. They led by as many as a jaw-dropping 46 points. It was over from the jump.
To make matters worse, this was the Lakers' worst day of the season. Doncic sustained a hamstring strain. He's been out since. Austin Reaves also sustained an oblique strain. He missed a month and barely returned in Los Angeles' Game 5 loss to the Rockets. The two big-time injuries dropped them to the fourth seed.
This was the game that made most folks realize that the Thunder are just tiers ahead of the Lakers. Gilgeous-Alexander had 28 points and seven assists. Joe dropped 20 points. To put up nearly 140 points in regulation shows that OKC made easy work of Los Angeles' defense.
A full recap can be read here.
April 7, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) moves the ball against Los Angeles Lakers forward Rui Hachimura (28) during the second half at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images
You can just throw this away. That's the beauty of April regular-season basketball. The Lakers punted this with their C squad. Doncic, Reaves and James were all out. Meanwhile, the Thunder played their normal rotation as they still needed to clinch the first seed at this point of the year.
The Thunder completely blew out the Lakers' C squad. Gilgeous-Alexander had 25 points and eight assists in three quarters. Joe had 18 points. Jared McCain also helped out with 15 points. This game was decided when Los Angeles submitted its lengthy injury report.
Not much to take away. The Lakers relied on Luke Kennard to be their primary ball-handler. That's an impending disaster if it happens again. They found some success with it against the Rockets, but OKC's defense is a different beast. Don't think you can expect him to have random 20-point outings in this Round 2 matchup.
A full recap can be read here.
This article originally appeared on OKC Thunder Wire: Looking back at 4 matchups between Thunder, Lakers before 2026 NBA playoffs