The Thunder Can't Allow The Lakers To Find Their Stride In Los Angeles

Now that the series is headed to L.A., Oklahoma City will have to make sure the Lakers' home-court advantage doesn't mean too much.

May 7, 2026; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder forward Jaylin Williams (6) smiles after scoring against the Los Angeles Lakers in the second half during game two of the second round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images | Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

Now is no time for the Thunder to get complacent. 

The Oklahoma City Thunder are continuing to dominate this postseason, as they now lead the Los Angeles Lakers 2-0 in the second round of the playoffs. The series is now headed to Los Angeles, where the next two games will be held on Saturday and Monday. 

Even though OKC has a commanding lead on the series, the Thunder can’t get comfortable quite yet. Moving the series to L.A. will be sure to spark a fire in the Laker squad, especially when their season is on the line. The Lakers seemed to be putting some of the pieces together in Game 2, and Oklahoma City must make sure that they don’t truly fall into place. 

L.A. was giving the Thunder a run for its money, as the Lakers were actually leading at the break in Game 2, 58-57. OKC would then fire back with a huge third quarter, outscoring the Lakers 36-22, but the Lakers still proved that they made it to the second round for a reason. 

Laker star Austin Reaves gave it his all, as he led the game in scoring with 31 points. Reaves, combined with LeBron James’ 23 points, gave L.A. a pleasant boost, but in the end, it wasn’t enough to make up for the rest of the Lakers’ shortcomings. 

Oklahoma City halted Los Angeles’ push in multiple ways, like causing the Lakers to be sloppy with the ball. L.A. turned the ball over 21 times in Game 2, majorly hindering any plans of taking a game in OKC. 

The Thunder were also able to get to the paint easily in the last bout, scoring 52 of their points in the paint. It almost seemed like the Lakers didn’t even put up a fight down low, recording zero blocks in Game 2. 

These flaws might be major issues, but they are also things that can change within one game. With the Lakers going back home, they’ll be in a more familiar environment, which will make it easier to gain momentum from their fans. OKC has proved that they can beat the Lakers in Los Angeles, doing it twice in the regular season. Now, it must prepare to do it again, and not let the environment change how it affects its opponents' play. 

If OKC can play its game and not let the Lakers find their groove, then it won’t be long before the Thunder are moving on to the next round.