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Los Angeles Lakers vs. Thunder preview (Game 1 of the Western Conference Semifinals)

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  • #4 Los Angeles Lakers (4-2) vs. #1 Oklahoma City Thunder (4-0)
  • When: Tuesday, 05 May 2026 at 7:30pm CST
  • Where: Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, OK
  • TV: NBC / Peacock
  • Playoff Offensive Rating: LAL: 107.4 (12th) / OKC: 126.9 (1st)
  • Playoff Defensive Rating: LAL: 105.2 (4th) / OKC: 109.0 (8th)
  • Playoff Net Rating: LAL: 2.3 (7th) / OKC: 17.8 (2nd)
  • Series Record: 0-0

The Tip-Off

Six of the last seven NBA champs have all succumbed in their repeat attempts by this round in the playoffs. The 2018-19 Golden State Warriors, who had won the previous two titles before that, made it all the way back to the NBA Finals, but then suffered the “plagues of Egypt” series in which they lost both Kevin Durant (Achilles) and Klay Thompson (ACL) to series and “the following season”-ending injuries. The champions of that series, the Toronto Raptors, were then ousted by the Boston Celtics in the 2nd round the following season in The Bubble. The Bubble champ Los Angeles Lakers didn’t make it out of the first round after being a play-in team the following year, losing to Phoenix in the 2021 playoffs, four games to two. The 2021 champ, the Milwaukee Bucks, got knocked out in the 2nd round of the 2022 playoffs Boston, who won the series in seven games. Golden State had their one last hurrah that season, winning the title against the young Celtics. The following season, the Warriors lost in the 2nd round to the Lakers in six games. The 2023 champ, the Denver Nuggets lost the following season in the 2nd round to their hated rivals, the Minnesota Timberwolves in seven games. Boston finally broke through in the 2024 Finals, winning against the Dallas Mavericks in five games. Then, last season, Jayson Tatum tears his Achilles in the second round versus the New York Knicks and Boston loses that series 4-2. That opened the door for the Oklahoma City Thunder to win the title and here we stand now: the OKC Thunder in the 2nd round, looking to defend their title.

The Season Series

Game 1 – November 12th, 2025 – Both teams came into this game charged up, as this was supposed to be one of Oklahoma City’s biggest tests early in the season. They had just got done dispatching the Golden State Warriors in grand fashion the night before and now had to face the Luka Doncic-led Lakers. The Lakers were without LeBron James for that game, but the Thunder were also without Jalen Williams and Lu Dort. But they did have Cason Wallace, who put on a defensive masterclass against Doncic, and led OKC to a blowout victory, 121-92.

Game 2 – February 9th, 2026 – OKC was missing Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in this one, while the Lakers were also missing Doncic. But it was a return game for Dub, who came back after missing the previous 2.5 weeks with a hamstring strain. The game was close throughout, but Dub upped his physicality in the fourth quarter, constantly driving to the basket and earning trips to the free throw line. He went 3/6 FG shooting in the 4th and capped it off with 4 free throws at the end. OKC won 119-110.

Game 3 – April 2nd, 2026 – A lot like their first meeting of the season, both teams came into this game looking to gauge their abilities against the top teams in the league. The Lakers were riding high, having jumped all the way up to the 3rd slot in the conference. And OKC was finally the healthiest it had been all season. Oklahoma City came out the gates red-hot and the game eventually turned into a dud, as both Austin Reaves and Doncic exited with injuries. OKC’s largest lead in the game was 46 and they led wire to wire, winning 139-96.

Game 4 – April 9th, 2026 – Entering this game, OKC was looking to maintain it’s lead over San Antonio for best record in the league. And LA entered this game looking to get healthy. Their trio of James, Doncic, and Reaves sat out this game and OKC won going away, 123-87.

Betting Info, presented by FanDuel

  • Line: OKC -15.5
  • O/U: 213.5

Injury Report

OKC

  • Thomas Sorber – OFS (knee/ACL)
  • Jalen Williams – OUT (hamstring)

LAL

  • Luka Doncic – OUT (hamstring)

Three Big Things

  1. Force Turnovers – The Lakers rank dead last for playoff teams in protecting the ball. The turned the ball over 17.7 times per game in the Houston series and had a turnover percentage of 18.8%. To do that while also having the 2nd slowest team in the playoffs is a recipe for disaster for Los Angeles. If OKC is able to play their game and continue this trend for the Lakers, the series may be over in three games.
  2. Offensive Rebounds – Another area where the Lakers struggled in their series against Houston was in securing defensive rebounds. For the playoffs, the Lakers rank last with a 65.5% Defensive Rebound percentage for the teams that are still remaining in the playoffs. Consequently, the Thunder rank 2nd in playoff teams in Offensive Rebound percentage. If OKC can consistently get 2nd chance points, of which they are 2nd among playoff teams, then that opens up another avenue for OKC to get more points against LA.
  3. SGA – It’s not the Clippers, but it’s still an LA team. SGA always seems to get up for games against any LA opponent. And now he’ll have the chance to play at least 4 games against them.

Thunder @ Phoenix Suns preview (Game 4 of the Western Conference Quarterfinals)

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  • #1 Oklahoma City Thunder (3-0) @ #8 Phoenix Suns (0-3)
  • When: Monday, 27 April 2026 at 8:30pm CST
  • Where: Mortgage Matchup Center in Phoenix, AZ
  • TV: Peacock
  • Series Record: OKC leads 3-0

The Tip-Off

The Slog. It’s what I like to call Game 4’s the Oklahoma City Thunder are involved in. Over the last two postseasons prior to this year’s, the Thunder have gone 6-0 in Game 4’s. But the average margin of victory in those games was just 4.7 points, with the largest margin of victory being 8 points. Two of those games were decided by just two points (against Memphis and Minnesota). In three of those series (against Dallas, Denver, and Indiana), the Thunder were facing a 2-1 series deficit and NEEDED Game 4 to even the series. The one constant in all of those games has been the performance of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. In the six Game 4’s from the last two postseasons, SGA has averaged 32.7 points on 47% shooting from the field, 6.8 rebounds, 7.5 assists, 2.5 steals, and 1 block.

Betting Info, presented by FanDuel

  • Line: OKC -11.5
  • O/U: 214.5

Injury Report

OKC

  • Thomas Sorber – OFS (knee/ACL)
  • Jalen Williams – OUT (hamstring)

PHX

  • Jordan Goodwin – Questionable (calf)
  • Mark Williams – OUT (foot)

Three Big Things

  1. Next Man Up – With Jalen Williams and Isaiah Joe both missing Game 3, the “next man up” mentality shifted over to Aaron Wiggins and Jared McCain both getting significant playoff minutes. And each played their role well. McCain came into the game and played that hybrid “Isaiah Joe/Ajay Mitchell” role and scored 7 quick points in the second quarter. Wiggins played 11 minutes, and while there was anything spectacular about his performance, he was a +8 in the game during that time. This is a testament to coach Mark Daigneault and his insistence on keeping players ready throughout the regular season.
  2. Chet Holmgren – Phoenix is still without Mark Williams, and while Oso Ighodaro had a good bounce-back game in Game 3, the center position is still a point of weakness in the Suns’ lineup. Holmgren struggled a little on offense in that game, especially with the absence of Dub, who opens up so many opportunities for Holmgren in the halfcourt. I think we a little more big to big action in this game to exploit Phoenix’s size deficiency.
  3. Just Get It Done – As we’ve seen in the early going of these playoffs, the postseason eventually turns into a war of attrition. Last postseason, we saw injuries to Jayson Tatum, Tyrese Haliburton, Damian Lillard, Aaron Gordon, and to a lesser extend, Dub and Chet, all have effects on their teams’ playoff performances. This postseason, we’ve seen Donte DiVencenzo and Anthony Edwards both go down with serious injuries within minutes of each other. Victor Wembanyama was concussed for a game and a half. Peyton Watson, Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves have yet to play a game in the playoffs. Kevin Durant has only played in one game. And Gordon and Dub are back dealing with soft tissue injuries. The less time you need to play, the less possibility you have of injuries occurring. As Daigneault has been known to say, “We can only control what we can control,” and winning Game 4 is definitely something they can control.

Boston Celtics vs. Thunder preview (Game 67 of 82)

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  • Boston Celtics (43-22, 2nd in the East) vs. Oklahoma City Thunder (51-15, 1st in the West)
  • When: Thursday, 12 March 2026 at 8:30pm CST
  • Where: Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, OK
  • TV: Prime Video / FDSN-OK
  • Offensive Rating: BOS: 119.8 (2nd) / OKC: 117.0 (7th)
  • Defensive Rating: BOS: 111.8 (5th) / OKC: 106.2 (1st)
  • Net Rating: BOS: 7.9 (2nd) / OKC: 10.8 (1st)
  • Current Streaks: BOS: Lost their last game, 9-3 in their last 12 / OKC: Winners of 6 in a row, 9-1 in their last 10

The Tip-Off

There was a point around early February, where the Thunder were struggling with injuries and struggling with winning consistently. Many basketball prognosticators pointed to this particular point in the season when the Thunder would start to lose their grip on their #1 status in both the conference and the league. San Antonio and Detroit both nipping at their tail and a murderer’s row of opponents (New York (in NYC), Denver,  Boston, and Minnesota) lied ahead. The post All-Star break schedule was the one that was going to break the Thunder. What has happened since the All-Star break? A 9-1 record with the only loss being to the Detroit Pistons on a night where the Thunder were missing their top 6 players (SGA, Chet, Dub, Hartenstein, Ajay, and Caruso). This team is getting healthier and gaining some momentum at the right time in the season.

This is the first of two meetings this season between these two conference powerhouses. OKC swept the season series last season. These two teams were the favorites to meet in the Finals last season, but the injury to Jayson Tatum was too much for Boston as they lost in the 2nd round of the playoffs to the New York Knicks.

Betting Info, presented by FanDuel

  • Line: OKC -6.5
  • O/U: 215.5

Injury Report

OKC

  • Branden Carlson – OUT (back)
  • Isaiah Hartenstein – OUT (calf contusion)
  • Thomas Sorber – OFS (knee/ACL)
  • Jalen Williams – OUT (hamstring)

BOS

  • Payton Pritchard – Probable (neck spasms)
  • Jayson Tatum – Questionable (Achilles recovery management)
  • Nikola Vucevic – OUT (finger)
  • Derrick White – Questionable (knee contusion)

Three Big Things

  1. Pace – Boston is the “slowest” team in the league, ranking dead last in Pace and Fast Break Points per game. But, with that, comes the ability to protect the ball, which they do to the utmost, ranking first in turnovers, committing just 12.1 turnovers per game. This will be where OKC has to win the game. Forcing turnovers and getting out in transition would get Boston out of their element and turn the game in OKC’s favor.
  2. Perimeter Defense – Boston is the most “jump-shootiest” of jump-shooting teams there is in the league. They rank 1st in 3-point attempts per game, last in free-throw attempts per game (usually an indicator of a jump-shooting team), and 28th in Points in the Paint per game. They rank 6th in percentage of points from the mid-range and 3rd in percentage of points from the 3-point line. This may change a bit with the return of Jayson Tatum, but even with Tatum in the lineup, the Celtics were normally known as a team at the top or near the top of 3-point attempts. To a team like OKC, which likes to play it’s defense inside-out, if Boston is hitting their shots consistently, it could make for a long night.
  3. 127 – Anytime you tie a record set by Wilt Chamberlain, you’re in rarefied air. Anytime you have the chance to break a record set by Chamberlain, you’re on a whole ‘nother level. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander finds himself on the precipice of breaking the consecutive “20-points scored” games record. It’ll be interesting to see how Boston handles this. Are they going to throw the kitchen sink at SGA in order to try and avoid this milestone happening on their watch. Or will Boston head coach Joe Mazzulla just stick to his normal game plan and let the chips fall as they may.

Indiana Pacers vs. Oklahoma City Thunder Series Preview – NBA Finals

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Schedule

  • Game 1 – June 5th, 2025 @ 7:30pm CST at the Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, OK
  • Game 2 – June 8th, 2025 @ 7:00pm CST at the Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, OK
  • Game 3 – June 11th, 2025 @ 7:30pm CST at the Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, IN
  • Game 4 – June 13th, 2025 @ 7:30pm CST at the Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, IN
  • *Game 5 – June 16th, 2025 @ 7:30pm CST at the Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, OK
  • *Game 6 – June 19th, 2025 @ 7:30pm CST at the Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, IN
  • *Game 7 – June 22nd, 2025 @ 7:00pm CST at the Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, OK* – * * – If necessary

Quick Stats (Playoffs)

  • Offensive Rating – IND: 117.7 (2nd) / OKC: 115.9 (3rd)
  • Defensive Rating – IND: 113.6 (9th) / OKC: 104.7 (1st)
  • Net Rating – IND: 4.1 (4th) / OKC: 11.2 (2nd)

The Set-Up

Let’s be honest: if you marked this Finals match-up down in October 2024, then your phone number probably either starts with a 405 area code or a 317 area code. I’m sure a lot of people will tell you that an NBA Finals without LeBron James, Luka Doncic, Jayson Tatum, Nikola Jokic, or Steph Curry will be bad for the league. I’m sure they’ll wax poetic about superteams and dynasties of yore. They may even try to convince that these Finals will be the least watched finals ever. But don’t listen to them.

Every crop of superstars has to eventually meet it’s end. That LeBron and Curry have pushed their reigns out so far has been nothing short of impressive. Kudos to them for showing a new crop of stars how to take care of their bodies and push the bounds of longevity. But one era has to finish for another one to begin. And that is what these Finals may be representing. One, not necessarily built by superteams, but by team depth. One, not necessarily focused on the heliocentricity of one player, but on the ability to have five players on the court be 5-tool players. One, where the most important guy in the organization may not be the league MVP, but the league’s Executive of the Year.

Teams are being built differently now, and this may be the first view of how the NBA will look like under the new CBA. And there will be moans and groans about how great things were in the past. But, yet, somehow, someway, the league continues to grow. The social media hits continue to climb. The game crosses more and more boundaries as it continues to battle futbol (no, not football) as a truly global game. Soccer remains king throughout the world, but basketball continues to lie in wait as the prince that was promised. As the NBA landscape changes, these two teams, the Indiana Pacers and the Oklahoma City Thunder, are the teams that will usher basketball into this new era. You may be watching the next great dynasty unfold before your eyes.

Regular Season Series

Game 1 – Dec. 26th, 2024 – Thunder win 120-114 in Indianapolis, IN – SGA scores a then career-high 45 points as Lu Dort and the Thunder defense holds Tyrese Haliburton to 4 points on 6 FG attempts. Isaiah Hartenstein pitched in with an 11 point, 13 rebound double-double and Jalen Williams added in 20 points.

Game 2 – Mar. 29th, 2024 – Thunder win 132-111 in Oklahoma City, OK – OKC outscores the Pacers by 20 points combined in the 2nd and 3rd quarters and uses that cushion to cruise to victory. SGA scores 33 points and get big time contributions from Luguentz Dort (22 points on 6/7 shooting from deep) and Isaiah Joe (19 points on 5/7 shooting from deep).

Three Big Things

1. Twins? – These two teams are definitely not identical twins. But they could be classified as fraternal twins with how similar they are. Here are just a few stats that show how similar these two teams are: After January 1st, 2025, the Pacers (33) and Thunder (41) had the most wins in the league during that time. They both have a 12-4 record in the playoffs heading into the Finals. They are No. 2 and 3 in points per game in the playoffs, being separated by only 0.3 of a point. They are No. 1 and 2 in pace in the playoffs. They are 1 and 2 in points off turnovers. They are No. 1 and 3 in fastbreak points. They both get back on defense, being No. 1 and 2 on both Opponent Points off Turnovers and Opponent Fastbreak Points. It’s scary how similar these teams are, statistically.

2. SGA – The biggest difference is that one team boasts the league MVP and the other doesn’t. SGA has been playing some of his best basketball these last few weeks. While he may have started off slow in the first few games of the playoffs, he has picked it up when it has mattered most, scoring 30 or more points in 11 of his last 14 games. Teams have used various schemes to try to stop SGA, but it has been all for naught. In the two regular season games this season, SGA has averaged 39 against Indiana.

3. Living in the Corner – Indiana’s offense in these playoffs has not just been predicated on Haliburton’s floor generalship, but also on the shooters making corner 3’s. Indiana has shot an amazing 46.9% on 9.2 attempts these playoffs. That is up from 40.6% during the regular season. A 16-game sample size is big enough to assume that it can continue for the Pacers in the finals. But if they revert back to their regular season norms, the Pacers could be in trouble.

Celtics vs. Thunder preview (Game 8 of 82)

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celtics vs. okc logo

  • When: Friday, 03 November 2017 at 8:30 pm CST
  • Where: Chesapeake Energy Arena, Oklahoma City, OK
  • TV: ESPN/FSOK
  • Radio: WWLS The Sports Animal (98.1 FM, 640 AM, 930 AM (Spanish))
  • Line: OKC -6.5 | O/U – 205.5

Seven games in and the Oklahoma City Thunder are still looking for that statement victory. They beat the Knicks, Pacers, and Bulls pretty handily, like they were supposed to. And for as good as Giannis Antetokounmpo has been, the Bucks are still an inconsistent, middle of the conference team in the East. The three games against sturdier competition have resulted in losses.

So the Thunder still find themselves in search of that one signature win. As they continue figuring out the puzzle pieces that is their revamped team, the pendulum seems to be swinging towards the direction of them getting this thing figured out. Each player now has a role of what role they play on this team. Will that change as the season progresses? Probably. But the most important part of knowing what to do, how to do it, and when to do it seems to no longer be puzzling the Thunder players. And that is a scary thought for the rest of the league.  Continue reading →