Lakers Face Elimination in Game 4 Versus Thunder
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Los Angeles — The Los Angeles Lakers enter a must-win Game 4 on Monday night, hosting the Oklahoma City Thunder in their Western Conference semifinal matchup.
Oklahoma City holds a 3-0 series advantage after winning the first three contests by an average of 19.6 points. NBA teams that have built a 3-0 lead in a best-of-seven set are 162-0 all time.
The Lakers have been swept only nine times in franchise history, most recently in the 2023 Western Conference finals by the eventual champion Denver Nuggets. LeBron James, who has never been swept before the conference-final round, owns a 2-3 record in Game 4 when trailing 3-0. He averages 33.1 points per game in elimination situations, the highest mark in postseason history.
If the Thunder close out the series, they will reach the conference finals for the second straight year, the franchise’s first back-to-back appearance since 2011 and 2012. The winner of the San Antonio Spurs–Minnesota Timberwolves series awaits.
Should Los Angeles extend the matchup, Game 5 is scheduled for Wednesday in Oklahoma City.
Source: ESPN
