dailyloe.com – The NBA Playoffs feature the top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder facing the fourth-seeded Los Angeles Lakers in the West Semifinals starting May 5, 2026.
The Thunder swept the Lakers 4-0 during the regular season, winning by an average of 29.3 points per game, marking the largest point differential between two conference teams in the 2025-26 season.
However, the Lakers may have key players returning as Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves deal with injuries. Dončić has a strained left hamstring and remained out after sustaining an injury on April 2, while Reaves just returned from a strained oblique.
LeBron James, Dončić, and Reaves played together only once, finishing that game with a minus-16 in 17.9 minutes. If Dončić becomes available, the Lakers will still face challenges, as they were outscored by 56 points in the 59 minutes he played against the Thunder.
The series schedule is as follows: Game 1 on May 5 at 8:30 PM ET, Game 2 on May 7 at 9:30 PM ET, Game 3 on May 9 at 8:30 PM ET, and Game 4 on May 11 at 10:30 PM ET.
Games 5, 6, and 7 will occur on May 13, May 16, and May 18, if necessary. The Thunder aim to repeat as champions, which has not happened since the Golden State Warriors in 2017-2018.
Oklahoma City quickly eliminated Phoenix in the first round, setting the stage for a challenging match against the Lakers. The Lakers must solve both offensive and defensive issues to compete effectively against the defending champions.
