The Lakers are down 3-0 in the series.
The Los Angeles Lakers have no fallen behind 0-3 to the Oklahoma City Thunder and with the team now staring down elimination, it's going to take everything they have to stay alive and at least take one game against the defending champions.
What the Thunder have been able to achieve in this series has been nothing short of remarkable and it's a testament to the kind of depth they've been able to field on the floor.
The Lakers have done a solid job of defending against the Thunder at stretches in the series, and have entered the half leading in two games, yet each time the Thunder have been able to surge back and beat Los Angeles by at least 18 points in all three games.
The Thunder's Strength
They've been able to do that while star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has been mostly contained by Los Angeles. The reigning MVP has been limited to 23 points-or-less in all three Thunder victories, which still isn't negligible production by any means, but it's also not the kind of game-changing performances that's led to such lopsided scores.
The fact that Gigelous-Alexander has been so contained and the Thunder have continued to thrive is a testament to how stacked the roster actually is.
On any given night, a different Oklahoma City player has been able to step up and take over the game during certain stretches and no matter what game plan that Lakers head coach JJ Redick has concocted to try and combat them.
"They have the proper personnel to shape shift and be productive no matter who's on the floor," LeBron James said of the Thunder (via The Sporting Tribune).
Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) drives past Oklahoma City Thunder guard Luguentz Dort (5) during game three of the second round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Crypto.com Arena. Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn ImagesThe Variety of the Thunder
In the first three games of the series, both Chet Holmgren and Ajay Mitchell have led the Thunder in scoring, Holmgren in the first two games and Holmgren in the third. Still, neither truly took over the game to lead the Thunder to a win, but rather it was a total effort from the entire team that took them there.
The kind of variety that they're able to apply in their offensive schemes makes them supremely difficult to defend and plan for and it's a major reason they've been so successful the last two seasons.
Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) defends Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) in the second half of game three of the second round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Crypto.com Arena. Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn ImagesWith players like Lu Dort, Alex Caruso and Jared McCain rounding out the Thunder's depth, there are so many different ways that they can find to win and even when the Lakers have played at their best, it hasn't been enough to truly clear any kind of gap on the scoreboard.
Los Angeles still has at least one more game to try and combat the depth of the Thunder, but as the series has so far proven, it won't be an easy task.