The Things the Thunder Are About to Do to the Lakers Should Not Be Allowed on TV

On paper, I guess the Los Angeles Lakers going up against the Oklahoma City Thunder should be a pretty fun series for the NBA.

You have LeBron James, one of the greatest players of all time, and the Lakers brand going up against the Oklahoma City Thunder, the reigning defending NBA champions.

Thunder guard, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander will likely receive his second straight MVP during this series, as the Thunder look to defend their title and start building what could be the next dynasty in the NBA.

Not to mention, if Luka Doncic were to return in this series for the Lakers, that would add another layer of intrigue. Don't forget, he is the last player to beat the Thunder in the playoffs, when he led the Dallas Mavericks past them in the second round of the 2024 NBA Playoffs and all the way to the Finals. All that said, Doncic is unlikely to play in this series due to a hamstring injury that has kept him out for start of the playoffs thus far.

LeBron James is 41 years old, and while that was used against him going into the last round, he was outstanding against the Houston Rockets in that upset series win. But this is a different animal.

I think the Oklahoma City Thunder are going to annihilate the Los Angeles Lakers. I think they are going to sweep them in four games, with at least three, maybe even all four, being non competitive.

I would even go as far as to say it could get so bad that what the Thunder are about to do to the Lakers should not even be allowed on TV.

The Thunder have dominated this matchup all season. The margin of victory has not been close, just take a look at the scores in their games this season below.

• November 12, 2025: Thunder 121, Lakers 92

  
  

• February 9, 2026: Thunder 119, Lakers 110

  
  

• April 2, 2026: Thunder 139, Lakers 96

  
  

• April 7, 2026: Thunder 123, Lakers 87

An avergae margin of victory of nearly 30 points per game! That is ridiculous.

The Thunder's defense is going to clamp the Lakers offense in this series. On the other end, the Lakers will not be able to contain Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. I would not be surprised if he pushes close to 40 points per game if needed, considering these games will probably not be competitive deep into the fourth quarter.

I also think this series is going to highlight, as tough as it is to say, LeBron’s age. There are not many extended breaks in this schedule. It is one day on, one day off, and that pace against a young, athletic Thunder team is going to take a toll. By the end of it, you could see the exhaustion really set in.

I think Oklahoma City cruises to the Western Conference Finals. My prediction is Thunder in 4 games.

The difference in athleticism, playmaking, depth, defense, and shot creation is going to be on full display. I understand why people are drawn to the idea of this series. LeBron, and maybe Luka, against the reigning champions and likely back to back MVP in Gilgeous-Alexander sounds great on paper.

But in reality, I think this is going to be a shellacking.