Two sweeps. Eight wins. Zero losses. The Oklahoma City Thunder are doing something no NBA team has accomplished in 25 years.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 35 points, Chet Holmgren threw down a tiebreaking dunk with 32.8 seconds remaining, and the defending champions outlasted the Los Angeles Lakers 115-110 in Game 4 on Monday night to advance to the Western Conference Finals – and to join the 2001 Los Angeles Lakers as the only franchises in NBA history to sweep their first two playoff rounds.
SGA and Mitchell take over when it matters
Gilgeous-Alexander (35 pts, 8 ast) was measured for most of the night, but relentless when the game was on the line. He went 11-of-22 from the field and converted 12 of 15 free throws. After the game, he was characteristically understated about what the 8-0 run means: “We’ve done our job so far. That’s all it really means. We’ve gone out there, we’ve executed, we played at a high level, and we’ve been able to win eight tough games against really good opponents,” he told NBA on Prime.
Ajay Mitchell continued his remarkable postseason with 28 points on 12-of-19 shooting. Asked about his young teammate, SGA was effusive: “It’s been amazing. You could say he’s been our best player this series. It’s all coming together before the world’s eyes.”
Holmgren’s go-ahead dunk ends the Lakers’ resistance
The Thunder looked to be pulling away with 2:03 left when Holmgren (16 pts, 9 reb) threw down a dunk to make it 109-103. The Lakers answered. Rui Hachimura (25 pts) hit a four-point play, then Marcus Smart drove and converted a three-point play to put Los Angeles ahead 110-109 with under a minute left.
But Oklahoma City had its answer. Holmgren caught the ball inside, pump-faked twice, and threw down the go-ahead dunk – on an assist from Isaiah Hartenstein – with 32.8 seconds remaining. Austin Reaves (27 pts) had a tying three in his hands with eight seconds left. It didn’t fall. LeBron James, who posted 24 points and 14 rebounds in what may have been the final game of his 23rd season, could only watch.
8-0 – Matching a historic benchmark
The 2001 Lakers swept Portland, Sacramento, and San Antonio on their way to the title. Oklahoma City swept the Phoenix Suns in Round 1 and have now swept the Lakers in Round 2. The Thunder went a perfect 8-0 against Los Angeles across the regular season and playoffs combined this year.
Oklahoma City has yet to play a Game 5 this postseason. Gilgeous-Alexander acknowledged the physical toll: “Battling the rust has been taking its toll on me. Gotta stay in the gym. Trust the work. It’ll all even out.”
What’s next
The Thunder await the winner of the San Antonio Spurs–Minnesota Timberwolves series, which is locked at 2-2 heading into Game 5 on Tuesday night. Oklahoma City will have the home-court advantage regardless of opponent.
Bottom line
- Thunder 8-0: First team since the 2001 Lakers to sweep the opening two playoff rounds.
- SGA (35 pts, 8 ast) delivered in every clutch moment – and credited Mitchell as the series’ best player.
- LeBron James (24 pts, 14 reb) gave everything; his future remains unresolved after 23 seasons.
Sources: ESPN Game Recap · NBA.com Takeaways
