OKC Thunder Must Jump out to a Quick Series Lead Against Lakers

Oklahoma City has the advantage going into the series, but they must use it while it's available.

Apr 27, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Aaron Wiggins (21) 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

The Thunder will need to take control of their second-round matchup quickly. 

The Oklahoma City Thunder are now set to take on the Los Angeles Lakers in round two of the NBA Playoffs, with L.A. winning the series over the Houston Rockets on Friday night. The Thunder have had plenty of time to prepare for this series, and will need to take control of this series from the very first tip-off. 

OKC has been done with its first round series since Monday night, after sweeping the Phoenix Suns. This extra rest is an advantage that the Lakers won’t have, and the Thunder must make use of it before the playing field gets leveled as the series goes on. 

Oklahoma City must also take advantage of the series early, due to the injury troubles L.A. has dealt with recently. The Lakers had to go through most of their first-round series missing two of their stars, Austin Reaves and Luka Doncic. Reaves finally came back in Game 5 of the opening round, but Doncic has yet to return. 

Reaves still doesn’t seem to be quite at 100% just yet, and with Doncic not expected to come back until later in round two, the Thunder must make their move early. Although Oklahoma City didn’t have trouble with Doncic during the regular season, the Laker guard is one of the most dangerous players in the entire league. 

He led the NBA in scoring during the regular season, averaging 33.5 points per game. That isn’t where his impressive resume ends, as he was third in assists with 8.3 per game and also managed to grab an average of 7.7 rebounds a night. 

The Lakers' big three of LeBron James, Reaves and Doncic have only played 17 games together this season, meaning their full strength is yet to be known. The Thunder will have to deal with James and Reaves to open the series, and they need to be in a commanding lead by the time Doncic returns to make sure no surprise series comeback can occur. 

The Thunder have plenty of advantages going into this second-round series; they will just have to make sure each one is taken advantage of. Even if Doncic is able to return later in the series, if OKC hits the ground running, taking advantage of a fatigued Lakers squad, then Oklahoma City will have no problem closing out the series.