The Thunder swept the four-game regular-season series against the Lakers by an average of 29.3 points.
The Lakers have an uphill battle ahead of them, to state the obvious.
Heading into the Lakers’ second-round playoff series against the Thunder, here are three key matchups to keep your eyes on:
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander vs. Marcus Smart
Gilgeous-Alexander is the reigning MVP. He’s likely to repeat for that honor when the winner is announced later this month. There’s no stopping him. He’s like a metronome. He’s guaranteed to score about 30 points a game.
Smart has an impossible task: trying to slow down Gilgeous-Alexander.
The good thing for the Lakers is that Smart is a former Defensive Player of the Year in 2022. He’s used to guarding opposing teams’ superstars.
In the only game Kevin Durant played in the Lakers’ first-round series against the Rockets, Smart bottled up the greatest scorer of all time.
Durant, who struggled with a bone bruise, finished with 23 points and nine turnovers in the Lakers’ 101-94 win in Game 2. Because of Smart’s swarming defense, Durant only scored three points in the second half on 1-for-5 shooting.
Smart, who agreed to a contract buyout with the Wizards in July 2025, viewed joining the Lakers as a golden opportunity to save his career. He has since shown that he can be a lockdown defender, capable of swinging games.
For Smart, his ultimate challenge is ahead.
Gilgeous-Alexander is averaging a league-leading 33.8 points this postseason on 55.1% shooting.
Lakers coach JJ Redick didn’t hold back when asked how to slow down Gilgeous-Alexander, including his incredible ability to get to the free-throw line.
“Nobody’s been able to stop him all season,” Redick said. “So you can hope and pray.”
Deandre Ayton vs. Chet Holmgren
Ayton was famously overheard saying in the Lakers’ locker room in February, “I’m not no Clint Capela.”
The former No. 1 overall pick in the 2018 draft wanted to be known as more than a lob-catching rim defender.
Well, against Holmgren, Ayton will have to play with a combination of force and agility.
Holmgren is an elite rim protector and floor spacer. He averaged 17.1 points, 8.9 rebounds and 1.9 blocks in the Thunder’s sweep over the Suns in their first-round series.
As for Ayton, he had a very strong series against the Rockets, averaging 11.8 points, 10.8 rebounds and one block over six games.
In Game 5, Ayton was one of the few bright spots, finishing with 18 points, 17 rebounds and two blocked shots in the Lakers’ 99-93 loss. In Game 6, Ayton was tasked with locking down Alperen Sengun, whom he held to 17 points on 5-for-12 shooting, 11 rebounds, four turnovers and the worst plus-minus of anyone on the court (-27) in LA’s 98-78 win.
This should be an interesting matchup.
Ayton is trying to rehabilitate his image, and winning his matchup down low would go far in doing that.
JJ Redick vs. Mark Daigneault
There’s no doubt that Daigneault has the better team. He has done a brilliant job of maximizing everyone on his roster. They know how to win. How to sacrifice. How to meet the moment.
But Redick has done something incredible.
He instilled belief in a group that was counted out in the first round against the Rockets. Without Luka Doncic all six games and without Austin Reaves the first four contests, very few thought the Lakers had a chance.
And yet, here we are.
Then again, getting the Lakers to believe they can beat the Rockets is a very different challenge than getting them to believe they can get past the reigning champions.
“I think the belief is there,” Redick said at Lakers practice Sunday. “And it’s growing with this group.”
