Lakers Get Warning From Shai Gilgeous-Alexander During NBA Playoffs
The Los Angeles Lakers are one win away from the second round. After going down 3-0 in the series, the Houston Rockets forced Game 5, and now the Lakers will hope to close things out at home Wednesday night.
But what awaits them on the other side, should they advance, is already crystal clear: they will face the No. 1 seed Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference playoff semifinals.
The defending champion Thunder eliminated the Phoenix Suns out of the first round Monday night with a 131-122 win in Game 4, completing a first-round sweep for the third consecutive postseason. Oklahoma City finished the series as the No. 1 offense and No. 1 defense in the playoffs, a level of two-way dominance that makes them the clear favorite heading into the second round.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was the engine of it all. Through four games against Phoenix, the reigning MVP averaged 33.8 points, 8.0 assists and 3.8 rebounds. His 42-point performance in Game 3 was particularly impressive: it marked just the seventh 40-point playoff game in NBA history where a player shot over 90% true shooting.
After Monday's game, Gilgeous-Alexander was asked about what lies ahead in the second round as Oklahoma City awaits its next opponent.
"I've already been watching all of the Lakers and Houston series," he said, adding that he would continue to do so to identify each team's strengths and weaknesses. "We've played them both a few times," he added. "We know what it will look like."
"I've already been watching all of the Lakers and Houston series. Just continue to do so, watch both teams, see their strengths and weaknesses."
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) April 28, 2026
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander following the sweep against the Suns
(via @NBAonNBC)pic.twitter.com/MmRo1kkeep
The Lakers have every reason to take his comments seriously. Oklahoma City swept the regular-season series against Los Angeles 4-0, including a 43-point blowout on April 2, the game in which both Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves were lost to injury and have not returned since.
In their most recent meeting on April 7, the Thunder held the shorthanded Lakers to their lowest-scoring performance of the season (87 points). As a matter of fact, three of Los Angeles' six lowest-scoring games have come against Oklahoma City. The Thunder will also have additional time to rest and prepare while Los Angeles and Houston continue to battle it out.
The good news for the Lakers, however, is that both Doncic and Reaves are trending toward availability in the second round. A full-strength Lakers team that already boasts a proven playoff performer in LeBron James could pose a different proposition than the one Oklahoma City dismantled in April.
But the Lakers have to get there first. Game 5 tips off at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN.
Related: Luka Doncic's Return Timeline Emerges After JJ Redick Update
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This story was originally published April 28, 2026 at 4:55 AM.