The OKC Thunder host the Los Angeles Lakers at the Paycom Center on Thursday, April 1, at 9:30 p.m. ET.
The Thunder are 60-16 and first in the West with a 32-6 home record, while the Lakers are 50-26 and third in the West with a 24-14 road record.
The Thunder are coming off a hard-fought 114-110 win over the Detroit Pistons on Monday, while the Lakers picked up a 127-112 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Tuesday. The last meeting between these teams was on February 9, 2026, with the Thunder picking up a 119-110 win. OKC is 2-0 against the Lakers this season and will hope to complete the season-series sweep on Thursday.
The Thunder are led by MVP frontrunner Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who’s averaging 31.6 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 6.5 assists this season. His second option all year has been Chet Holmgren, who’s averaged 17.0 points, 8.9 rebounds, and 1.8 blocks for the reigning champions this season as they hope to secure the No. 1 seed for the third season in a row.
The Lakers are led by MVP candidate Luka Doncic, averaging 33.8 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 8.3 assists. A battle against Gilgeous-Alexander will bring a lot of eyes to this game, as this performance might seal his fate in the MVP race after a ridiculous March, where he averaged 37.5 points, 8.0 rebounds, and 7.4 assists. Austin Reaves has been a capable second-option, averaging 23.4 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 5.6 assists this season.
These are two of the hottest teams in the NBA got head-to-head in a clash with huge consequences for both. The Thunder are hoping to secure the No. 1 seed while the Lakers are hoping to do the same with the No. 3 seed. Neither can afford a loss as both teams will be looking to prove their worth as the best in the NBA.
Injury Report
Thunder
Alex Caruso: Out (illness)
Thomas Sorber: Out (knee)
Lakers
Marcus Smart: Out (ankle)
Why The Thunder Have The Advantage
The Thunder have a pretty comprehensive advantage over every team in the NBA this season, given their incredible efficiency on both ends of the court. The Thunder have the best offensive rating in the NBA (117.1) and the best defensive rating (106.3), which reflects how dominant they’ve been all season. No team is within two points of their +10.9 net rating this season.
The Thunder can get caught out by opponents as an average rebounding team, grabbing 44.1 rebounds per game. However, the Lakers are among the worst teams in rebounding with 41.0 per game, the fourth-worst in the NBA this season. The Thunder are also a far more active defensive unit, generating the fourth-most steals in the NBA this season with 9.6 per game. The Lakers commit 14.4 turnovers per game, and the Thunder might make them commit a lot more if they don’t play within tight passing lanes.
The Lakers might have an efficient offense, but the Thunder lead the NBA in restricting opponents’ field goal percentage with 43.5% this season. Their activity across the perimeter and sound rim protection has made them almost impossible to break down, but they’re going up against an extremely creative and dynamic backcourt that could hurt their defensive rhythm. Nonetheless, if any team can stop Doncic and Reaves, it’s the Thunder.
Most importantly, OKC has the players required to attack Doncic in a way recent opponents haven’t been able to. They have multiple options across their rotation that can be competitive on-ball and physical on drives. If they get Doncic out of his rhythm, the rest of the offense could be easily stopped, given the depth of defensive talent on OKC’s roster. Doncic scored 19 points on 7-20 shooting in his sole game against the Thunder this season.
Why The Lakers Have The Advantage
The Lakers are, surprisingly, the most efficient offense in the NBA, leading the league with a 50.2 FG% this season. No other team is above 50% on the season, so it’s clear that the Lakers’ methodical offense might lead to fewer attempts (83.9 per game, 29th in the NBA), but this efficiency makes them deadly. The team has a 122.5 offensive rating and a 112.1 defensive rating over the last 18 games, proving they can hang with the elite in the NBA.
The Lakers only give up 30.1 rebounds per game to opponents, so they’ll be hopeful they can disrupt the Thunder on the glass by using their physicality. They have the tools to overwhelm Holmgren and Hartenstein, but it presumes high defensive activity from other frontcourt members outside the center duo of Deandre Ayton and Jaxson Hayes. JJ Redick has had them playing at a high level defensively, so he’ll hope they show up for what’s been their most important game in a month.
The Thunder present an intimidating shot-blocking threat, swatting 5.5 shots per game, but teams against the Lakers usually average about 3 blocks per game. This is again a credit to the intelligent shot-making we’ve seen from the Lakers, which could be hard to gameplan for, considering the dynamic positions they create their opportunities out of.
LA might also rely on OKC playing aggressive defense against their backcourt, given the Lakers are second in the NBA in free throw attempts (26.9) this season. This result can be dictated by which teams get to the line more often, although the Lakers have free-throw drawing players across their roster as compared to Gilgeous-Alexander being the main free throw bemeificary on the Thunder.
X-Factors
Jalen Williams has had a rough season this year as injuries have hurt the progress he made last season. He’s averaging 17.3 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 5.3 assists in 30 games this year, settling into a more background role than the one he enjoyed last season. He has been progressing into the player we remember from last season, and he will aim to get closer to regaining his form against a potentially porous Lakers defense.
Ajay Mitchell hasn’t got the credit he deserves for the role he’s played on the Thunder this season. He’s been thrown into multiple different roles this season to cover up injuries across the roster, and the player has always found ways to answer the call. He’s averaging 14.0 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 3.6 assists this season. He might be the biggest x-factor on the Thunder, as the team is 15-1 in games he’s scored over 15 points.
LeBron James is the biggest x-factor in the NBA now. The 41-year-old forward has openly accepted his new designation as the third option on the Lakers. He’s averaging 20.7 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 7.0 assists this season and could be the biggest difference-maker in this game; it just depends on what version of him we see. The Lakers will need every ounce of production they can get from James on both ends, given the caliber of opposition they’re facing.
With Marcus Smart absent, Luke Kennard is likely one of the biggest x-factors in the Lakers’ rotation. He’s averaged 8.5 points on 55.8 shooting from the field and 48.1% shooting from three in 26 games, finally filling in the role of a dependable outside shooter in LA. Kennard has a proven shooting track record for years, and he’s been thriving off the service created by Doncic and Reaves. If Kennard catches fire from outside, the Thunder genuinely might not be able to catch up.
Prediction
Unless Doncic has a historic night on the road or coach Redick draws up a game plan that nullifies the weapons of the best team in the NBA, the Lakers are likely going to start their month with a loss. The Thunder have been wreaking havoc against all opponents over the last two months, and the Lakers will need everything to go right for them to pull this upset off. Given that the teams will face off again in the next few days, this might serve as a road loss for LA before they regroup and hope to secure the home win on April 7.
Prediction: Thunder 121, Lakers 114
