{"id":649423,"date":"2026-05-05T13:57:19","date_gmt":"2026-05-05T13:57:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/649423\/"},"modified":"2026-05-05T13:57:19","modified_gmt":"2026-05-05T13:57:19","slug":"lakers-vs-thunder-nba-playoff-predictions-odds-schedule-and-how-to-watch","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/649423\/","title":{"rendered":"Lakers vs. Thunder NBA playoff predictions, odds, schedule and how to watch"},"content":{"rendered":"

The 2026 NBA playoffs<\/a> shift into high gear as the top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder<\/a> prepare to battle the No. 4 seed Los Angeles Lakers<\/a> in a Western Conference semifinals showdown.<\/p>\n

The Thunder remain perfect in first-round action, pushing their record to 12-0 after a commanding sweep of the Phoenix Suns<\/a>. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander<\/a> continued to shine for the Thunder with his elite scoring, while Chet Holmgren<\/a> anchored the defense and contributed clutch plays. Oklahoma City\u2019s first-round dominant run also secured a valuable rest period ahead of the matchup with the Lakers.<\/p>\n

Advertisement<\/p>\n

The Lakers advanced to the second round after a 4-2 series victory over the Houston Rockets<\/a>. With Luka Doncic<\/a> sidelined by a Grade 2 hamstring strain, LeBron James<\/a> continued to show up for the Lakers, including a standout performance in Game 6 with 28 points, eight assists and seven rebounds. Austin Reaves<\/a>, returning from an oblique injury, also made a major impact, providing crucial offensive contributions when the Lakers needed them most. This marks Los Angeles\u2019s first trip to the second round since 2023, and the team remains optimistic that Doncic could rejoin the lineup if their postseason run continues.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s what you need to know as the Oklahoma City Thunder<\/a> host the Los Angeles Lakers<\/a> in Game 1 of the second round of the NBA playoffs<\/a>.<\/p>\n

More: From stars to sixth men, key players to watch in NBA conference semifinals<\/a><\/p>\n

1 \/ 9<\/p>\n

Coolest kicks of the NBA playoffs as stars show their sneaker style<\/p>\n

The NBA playoffs<\/a> bring out more than high\u2011stakes basketball, as stars showcase their sneaker style on the league\u2019s biggest stage.<\/p>\n

See the coolest kicks worn during the 2026 NBA Playoffs, where footwear becomes part of the spotlight.<\/p>\n

Above, The shoes of Jalen Brunson #11 of the New York Knicks are seen during the first half of Game One of the Eastern Conference First Round NBA Playoffs against the Atlanta Hawks at Madison Square Garden on April 18, 2026, in New York City.<\/p>\n

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1 \/ 9<\/p>\n

Coolest kicks of the NBA playoffs as stars show their sneaker style<\/p>\n

The NBA playoffs<\/a> bring out more than high\u2011stakes basketball, as stars showcase their sneaker style on the league\u2019s biggest stage.<\/p>\n

See the coolest kicks worn during the 2026 NBA Playoffs, where footwear becomes part of the spotlight.<\/p>\n

Above, The shoes of Jalen Brunson #11 of the New York Knicks are seen during the first half of Game One of the Eastern Conference First Round NBA Playoffs against the Atlanta Hawks at Madison Square Garden on April 18, 2026, in New York City.<\/p>\n

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2 \/ 9<\/p>\n

Coolest kicks of the NBA playoffs as stars show their sneaker style<\/p>\n

The shoes of Karl-Anthony Towns #32 of the New York Knicks are seen before Game One of the Eastern Conference First Round NBA Playoffs against the Atlanta Hawks at Madison Square Garden on April 18, 2026, in New York City.<\/p>\n

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3 \/ 9<\/p>\n

Coolest kicks of the NBA playoffs as stars show their sneaker style<\/p>\n

The shoes of Josh Hart #3 of the New York Knicks are seen during the third quarter of Game One of the Eastern Conference First Round NBA Playoffs at Madison Square Garden on April 18, 2026, in New York City.<\/p>\n

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4 \/ 9<\/p>\n

Coolest kicks of the NBA playoffs as stars show their sneaker style<\/p>\n

Shoes worn by Nikola Jokic #15 of the Denver Nuggets against the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first quarter during Game One of the First Round of the NBA Western Conference Playoffs at Ball Arena on April 18, 2026, in Denver, Colorado.<\/p>\n

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5 \/ 9<\/p>\n

Coolest kicks of the NBA playoffs as stars show their sneaker style<\/p>\n

The Nike Lebron XXIII shoes worn by Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) against the Houston Rockets in the first half during game one of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs, at Crypto.com Arena.<\/p>\n

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6 \/ 9<\/p>\n

Coolest kicks of the NBA playoffs as stars show their sneaker style<\/p>\n

Shoes worn by Anthony Edwards #5 of the Minnesota Timberwolves against the Denver Nuggets in the first quarter during Game One of the First Round of the NBA Western Conference Playoffs at Ball Arena on April 18, 2026, in Denver, Colorado.<\/p>\n

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7 \/ 9<\/p>\n

Coolest kicks of the NBA playoffs as stars show their sneaker style<\/p>\n

NEW YORK, NEW YORK – APRIL 18: The shoes of Karl-Anthony Towns #32 of the New York Knicks are seen during the first half of Game One of the Eastern Conference First Round NBA Playoffs against the Atlanta Hawks at Madison Square Garden on April 18, 2026 in New York City. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Elsa\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n

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8 \/ 9<\/p>\n

Coolest kicks of the NBA playoffs as stars show their sneaker style<\/p>\n

The shoes of Karl-Anthony Towns #32 of the New York Knicks are seen during the third quarter of Game One of the Eastern Conference First Round NBA Playoffs at Madison Square Garden on April 18, 2026, in New York City.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

9 \/ 9<\/p>\n

Coolest kicks of the NBA playoffs as stars show their sneaker style<\/p>\n

The shoes of Jonathan Kuminga #0 of the Atlanta Hawks are seen during the third quarter of Game One of the Eastern Conference First Round NBA Playoffs against the Atlanta Hawks at Madison Square Garden on April 18, 2026, in New York City.<\/p>\n

Los Angeles Lakers vs. Oklahoma City Thunder predictionsUSA TODAY Sports: Majority pick Thunder<\/p>\n

Lorenzo Reyes: Thunder in 5<\/p>\n

Scooby Axson:\u00a0Thunder in 5<\/p>\n

Mark Giannotto:\u00a0Thunder in 5<\/p>\n

James H. Williams:\u00a0Thunder in 5<\/p>\n

Marcus D. Smith:\u00a0Lakers in 7<\/p>\n

Andr\u00e9s Soto: Thunder in 6<\/p>\n

Advertisement<\/p>\n

The Oklahoman<\/a>: Thunder is better<\/p>\n

Justin Martinez writes: “Just look at how the regular-season meetings between OKC and Los Angeles went. The Thunder is clearly better, and the Lakers have even less of a chance of making this a competitive series with Don\u010di\u0107’s availability up in the air. In my eyes, OKC gets the clean sweep in this matchup breakdown.”<\/p>\n

The Athletic<\/a>: Majority pick OKC<\/p>\n

Joel Lorenzi: Thunder in 5<\/p>\n

William Guillory: Thunder in 5<\/p>\n

ESPN: Oklahoma City Thunder<\/p>\n

Stephen A. Smith: Thunder<\/p>\n

Kendrick Perkins: Thunder<\/p>\n

Quentin Richardson: Thunder<\/p>\n

Los Angeles Lakers vs. Oklahoma City Thunder odds<\/p>\n

Odds are courtesy of BetMGM Sportsbook. <\/p>\n

Advertisement<\/p>\n

To win the series: Thunder -2000 \/ Lakers +950<\/p>\n

Game 1 odds:<\/p>\n

Spread: Thunder -15.5 \/ Lakers +15.5<\/p>\n

Moneyline: Thunder -1050 \/ Lakers +675<\/p>\n

Los Angeles Lakers vs. Oklahoma City Thunder NBA playoffs schedule, TV information<\/p>\n

Here is the complete schedule for the 2026 NBA Western Conference semifinal, second-round playoff series between the Lakers and Thunder.<\/p>\n

Game 5:\u00a0Lakers at Thunder, May 13, TBD (if necessary)<\/p>\n

Game 6:\u00a0Thunder at Lakers, May 16, TBD (if necessary)<\/p>\n

Game 7:\u00a0Lakers at Thunder, May 18, TBD (if necessary)<\/p>\n

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Lakers vs. Thunder NBA playoff breakdown with predictions and odds<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The 2026 NBA playoffs shift into high gear as the top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder prepare to battle the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":649424,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[434],"tags":[45842,49,48,5715,8223,25698,2327,1522,8231,12887,459,2699,9585,3555,6002,183991,6691,82],"class_list":["post-649423","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nba","tag-austin-reaves","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-chet-holmgren","tag-houston-rockets","tag-kendrick-perkins","tag-lebron-james","tag-los-angeles","tag-los-angeles-lakers","tag-luka-doncic","tag-nba","tag-nba-playoffs","tag-oklahoma-city","tag-oklahoma-city-thunder","tag-phoenix-suns","tag-quentin-richardson","tag-shai-gilgeous-alexander","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/649423","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=649423"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/649423\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/649424"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=649423"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=649423"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=649423"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}