OKC Thunder's Clutch Reps Prove Value in Game 4 Win vs. Lakers

The Thunder took care of business when things got tight.

May 11, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder center Chet Holmgren (7) reacts after being called for a foul against the Los Angeles Lakers during the first half in game four of the second round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images | Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

Oklahoma City finished off another sweep, and its clutch performance got it over the hump in Game 4.

On Monday night, the Thunder beat the Los Angeles Lakers 115-110 to secure Game 4 and a 4-0 series win in the second round to remain unbeaten in the postseason. After thoroughly defeating the Lakers in the first three games, things were quite different in the final contest of the series.

Along with the Lakers playing better with their backs against the wall and a much better crowd behind them than they had in Game 3, the Thunder didn’t play up to their usual level. Of course, the Thunder have such a large margin for error that an off night in the postseason isn’t crushing.

Trailing for chunks of the fourth quarter, the Thunder needed to grind out their win in the final minutes. Luckily for them, they’ve had plenty of experience in that area this season.

In last year’s title run, clutch games were far from a strength for the Thunder coming in, mostly due to their lack of clutch situations in the regular season. After a dominant 68-win season in 2024-25, the Thunder’s 64-win campaign this season featured more tight matchups.

Playing in 34 clutch games compared to 24 a year earlier, the Thunder went 24-10 in games where the score was within five points with five minutes or less. That was good for the second-best winning percentage in the league in clutch time behind only the Lakers.

Those clutch reps were also enough to secure Clutch Player of the Year for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who made some big plays down the stretch. While Gilgeous-Alexander is always going to perform in the biggest moments, the rest of the Thunder also showed why those regular season performances were so important.

Despite having some struggles throughout the night and being on the wrong end of some of the Lakers’ biggest scoring plays, Chet Holmgren was always in the right spot ready to make a play offensively in the final minutes. Including his go-ahead dunk with 32 seconds left, Holmgren was never phased by the moment and did everything he needed to help his team escape with a win.

In the final 5:10, Holmgren scored eight of his 16 points, with Gilgeous-Alexander and Ajay Mitchell being the only others to add onto their scoring numbers in that stretch. Although things weren’t necessarily pretty in LA, great teams can win in a variety of ways, and the Thunder have proven they can take care of business in clutch time.