The Lakers face a challenging Game 4 against the Thunder in the 2026 NBA playoffs, trailing in the series. Luka Doncic is out due to a hamstring injury, impacting the Lakers' offensive strategy.

Thunder vs Lakers Game 4: live score updates, highlights, 2026 NBA playoffs 2nd round series originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The Lakers find themselves in 'no-man's land' heading into Game 4. The Thunder's average margin of victory in the first three games has been +19.
The bitter truth is that this Lakers team is not built for nor are they as successful when the game goes through Lebron James first. Without Luka Doncic in the mix, the distribution of offense is off balance.
Luka Doncic has been ruled out for Game 4 due to his hamstring injury. That injury has kept him out of the lineup since April 8.
The larger concern for Game 4 comes from the OKC side of this tale of the tape. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has not needed to be in MVP form to beat the Lakes by almost 20 points per game. SGA is only averaging 21/5/3 in this series and none of the three games played thus far have been necessarily 'close'.
Live score updates for Thunder vs Lakers Game 4 can be found on sports news websites.
Luka Doncic is out for Game 4 due to a hamstring injury that has sidelined him since April 8.
The Thunder's average margin of victory in the first three games of the series has been +19.
Bayern Munich remains firm on Laimer's salary demands; Kvaratskhelia rumors denied.
Nate Diaz slams Strickland and Khamzat for faking their beef, calling them 'fake puppets.'
Is Ryan Rolison a trusted pitcher for the Cubs? Fans weigh in.
See every story in Sports ā including breaking news and analysis.
The Lakers can win a game in this series, provided Lebron and Reaves provide volume production. However, unless something significant changes, it doesn't seem likely Los Angeles will push this to a six or seven game series.
1st Quarter- 4:53: Lakers on 9-0 run, take 17-14 lead over Thunder.
1st Quarter- 6:29: Austin Reaves nails 3-pointer, cuts lead to 14-11.
1st Quarter- 6:42: TV timeout. OKC up 14-8.
1st Quarter- 7:34: Lakers trading buckets with the Thunder. OKC up 12-8.
1st Quarter- 9:01: Thunder increase the lead to 7-4.
1st Quarter- 10:32: OKC jumps out to a 5-2 lead.