The Lakers are in a precarious position heading into Game 4, trailing the Thunder 3-0 in the second round of the 2026 NBA playoffs. Oklahoma City has dominated the series, winning by an average margin of 19 points per game. Without Luka Doncic, who has been ruled out for Game 4 due to a hamstring injury sustained on April 8, Los Angeles struggles to balance its offense when relying primarily on LeBron James. The Thunder’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has not needed to play at an MVP level to secure these victories, averaging just 21 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 assists in the series, with none of the games being particularly close. The Lakers can win a game if LeBron and Austin Reaves produce at high volume, but unless a significant shift occurs, extending the series to six or seven games seems unlikely.
**Live updates and highlights from Game 4:**
**End of 3rd Quarter:** Lakers 84, Thunder 80. LA closes the quarter on a 21-9 run.
**3rd Quarter – 9.0 seconds:** Lakers retake the lead 82-80.
**3rd Quarter – 1:05:** Chet Holmgren sinks two free throws. OKC back up 79-77.
**3rd Quarter – 1:22:** Game tied at 77. OKC blows a huge lead as Lakers rally.
**3rd Quarter – 2:03:** Lakers take 76-75 lead off Austin Reaves free throws.
**3rd Quarter – 2:48:** Lakers pull within one point on three free throws from Austin Reaves. 73-72 with OKC’s lead vanished.
**3rd Quarter – 3:20:** Luke Kennard makes a 3-pointer, cutting the deficit to 74-70.
**3rd Quarter – 4:54:** Jaxson Hayes hits a 3-pointer. OKC leads 71-64.
**3rd Quarter – 5:09:** Thunder holds a 68-61 advantage.
**3rd Quarter – 6:14:** Rui Hachimura hits a 3-pointer to cut OKC’s lead to 66-58.
**3rd Quarter – 7:35:** Thunder leads by 12 after Cason Wallace’s triple. Lakers timeout.
**3rd Quarter – 8:09:** Teams exchange buckets. OKC up nine, 63-54.
**Halftime:** Thunder 49, Lakers 45.
**2nd Quarter – 1:36:** Lakers cut the lead to four. 44-40.
**2nd Quarter – 4:00:** Teams trade buckets with OKC still up by ten. 42-32.
**2nd Quarter – 5:29:** Lakers score first points of the quarter, ending a six-and-a-half-minute scoreless drought. 38-28 lead.
**2nd Quarter – 6:01:** OKC runs off 17 straight points. Lakers remain scoreless in the quarter. 38-26 lead.
**2nd Quarter – 6:12:** OKC up by ten. 36-26. A 15-0 run for the Thunder.
**2nd Quarter – 7:19:** Jared McCain’s 3-pointer extends OKC’s run to 13-0. Lakers go without a field goal in the first five minutes of the quarter.
**2nd Quarter – 9:50:** OKC on a 10-0 run. 31-26 timeout on the floor.
**2nd Quarter – 10:54:** Thunder up 29-26 after an 8-0 run to open the quarter. Two 3-pointers from Alex Caruso.
**End of 1st Quarter:** Lakers 26, Thunder 21.
**1st Quarter – 18.3:** Lakers lead by five, 26-21.
**1st Quarter – 1:50:** Lakers increase lead to 22-19.
**1st Quarter – 3:25:** TV timeout. 17-16 Lakers lead.
**1st Quarter – 4:53:** Lakers go on a 9-0 run, take a 17-14 lead.
**1st Quarter – 6:29:** Austin Reaves nails a 3-pointer, cutting the lead to 14-11.
**1st Quarter – 6:42:** TV timeout. OKC leads 14-8.
**1st Quarter – 7:34:** Lakers trade baskets with the Thunder. OKC up 12-8.
**1st Quarter – 9:01:** Thunder increase the lead to 7-4.
**1st Quarter – 10:32:** OKC jumps out to a 5-2 lead.
Tip-off in Los Angeles. Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals (Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Los Angeles Lakers) takes place on Monday, May 11, at 10:30 p.m. ET, airing on Prime Video.
