Can OKC Thunder Carry Postseason Dominance into Lakers Matchup?

The Thunder are looking to carry their momentum from Round 1 into Game 1 against LA.

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

Oklahoma City dominated in the first round, and it will be looking to do the same in Round 2.

On Tuesday night, the Thunder will tip off their highly anticipated series against the Los Angeles Lakers. With over a week off after the first round, the Thunder should be well-rested and well-prepared for their opening matchup against LeBron James and company.

While there’s always a chance for the second round to give the Thunder some trouble again, they also may be ready to show the same level of dominance they did in the first round. In the first round matchup against Phoenix, the Thunder took care of business with four convincing wins, including a nine-point win in Game 4 that prevented the Thunder from four straight double-digit wins.

Winning by an average margin of 17.3 points, the Thunder’s first-round series was never competitive. Considering the numbers for the Lakers throughout the season, the second round might not look much different.

Simply looking at the Lakers’ regular season production, their level of play effectively makes them a more offensive-minded version of the Suns. Finishing with an almost identical net rating to Phoenix and only sneaking into the top 10 of the league on one side of the ball, the Lakers don’t have many things going for them.

Add in that Phoenix shot slightly better from 3 on eight more attempts per game in the regular season, and there’s a case to be made that the Suns’ path to overcoming the Thunder was more straightforward. Of course, numbers can’t account for the fact that it’s never smart to count out LeBron James, but his team certainly isn’t among the best he’s had in his legendary career.

While there’s always a chance for an all-time performance for an all-time great, it’s also important to note that the Lakers’ mediocre regular season numbers also came with Luka Doncic playing 64 games. Although the Lakers came through in the first round against Houston without him, winning against the Thunder may be an impossible task without him.

Considering the Thunder will be navigating this series without Jalen Williams, at least to start, they will still need some big contributions from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and others to show a similar level of dominance. Of course, the Thunder navigated large chunks of the regular season without Williams, so there may not be much of an issue for the defending champs on the injury side.

Looking at the series from afar, the Thunder-Lakers matchups is filled with intriguing storylines and stars, but a closer look shows that the Thunder may just be playing a second first-round series.