Defending Champion Thunder Not Underestimating Lakers in Playoffs

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May 5, 2026 - 16:42

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Defending Champion Thunder Not Underestimating Lakers in Playoffs

The Oklahoma City Thunder have all the pieces to repeat as NBA champions this season, including defending NBA Most Valuable Player Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. And with the Los Angeles Lakers missing superstar Luka Doncic, the odds are in favor of the Thunder advancing to the Western Conference Finals.

Despite being favorites to win it all, the No. 1 seed Thunder is not underestimating the No. 4 seed Lakers in the Western Conference semifinals.

“They’re playing really well right now, regardless of who’s out there,” Gilgeous-Alexander told Rylan Stiles of Sports Illustrated on Monday, one day before Game 1 of the second-round series between the Lakers and Thunder.

Apr 27, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) after defeating the Phoenix Suns in a four game sweep of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Mortgage Matchup Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Gilgeous-Alexander said four-time NBA champion LeBron James’ experience in high-stakes playoff games will be an advantage for the Lakers. He added that the Thunder is aware the Lakers have what it takes to pull off an upset.

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

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