Behind a 35-point night from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the visiting Oklahoma City Thunder edged past the Los Angeles Lakers 115-110 on Monday to book their spot in the Western Conference finals. The win wrapped up a dominant four-game sweep and could go down as the last game LeBron James ever played for Los Angeles.
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Ajay Mitchell came up big with 28 points, while Chet Holmgren chipped in 16 points and nine rebounds as the Oklahoma City Thunder stayed unbeaten in the playoffs at 8-0. Jared McCain also added 13 points as Oklahoma City moved on to face either the Minnesota Timberwolves or the San Antonio Spurs in the Western Conference finals.
The reigning NBA champions shot 51.9 percent from the field, narrowly edging the Los Angeles Lakers, who finished at 50.7 percent. Oklahoma City also completed a clean sweep over Los Angeles this season, winning all eight meetings across the regular season and playoffs.
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For the Lakers, Austin Reaves scored 27 points, while Rui Hachimura added 25 points and eight rebounds in what could be the start of a major offseason shake-up for the franchise.
At 41, LeBron James finished with 24 points and 12 rebounds and is now headed toward unrestricted free agency after completing a record 23rd NBA season.
Jaxson Hayes contributed 18 points for Los Angeles, which went through the entire postseason without Luka Doncic after the star guard suffered a hamstring injury during an April 2 game in Oklahoma City.
The Thunder sealed it late when Shai Gilgeous-Alexander knocked down two free throws with 12.2 seconds left to make it 113-110. Reaves then missed a potential game-tying three, before Mitchell iced the win from the line with 6.4 seconds remaining.
LeBron James on retirement:
“I don’t know what the future holds for me”
🙁🙁🙁 pic.twitter.com/iGf0f9n8On
— Polymarket Hoops (@PolymarketHoops) May 12, 2026
The Lakers trailed by as many as 12 points in the third quarter before going on a 22-9 run to take a 76-75 lead with 2:03 left in the period after getting seven consecutive points from Reaves. Los Angeles extended its advantage to 84-80 heading into the fourth.
The Lakers led 92-87 before Mitchell capped an 8-0 run with a three-point play to give Oklahoma City a 95-92 lead with 6:14 remaining.
A four-point play from Hachimura, followed by a three-point play from Marcus Smart put the Lakers up 110-109 with 40.9 seconds remaining. A dunk from Holmgren gave the Thunder a 111-100 lead with 32.8 seconds left.
James missed a floater over Isaiah Hartenstein with 20 seconds left before Reaves and Smart missed late 3-point attempts.
(With inputs from Reuters)
