Can the Thunder's defense contain LeBron's firepower or Durant's legacy? A deep dive into the elite Round 2 matchups awaits.
The Oklahoma City Thunder became the first team to break out the brooms and sweep a team in the 2026 NBA Playoffs on Monday night.
OKC took down the scrappy Phoenix Suns by a final score of 131-122 in a highly entertaining and hard fought Game 4 at the Mortgage Matchup Center. It's the third straight opening round series sweep for the Thunder. Oklahoma City head coach Mark Daigneault is now 12-0 in the 1st Round.
Now that OKC has taken care of business, Thunder fans will turn their attention to the Los Angeles Lakers versus Houston Rockets series. The winner of that matchup will face off against the defending champions in Round 2. Each team would present its own set of challenges and areas of weakness in a series against Oklahoma City.
Let's break down what each opponent would bring to the table in a potential Round 2 series.
Los Angeles Lakers
Strength: Star power. When the Lakers are at full strength, their Big 3 of Luka Doncic, LeBron James and Austin Reaves is a potential offensive juggernaut.
Weakness: Defense. While LA's superstar trio and surrounding role players are able to score points as well as any team in the league, they provide very little resistance on the other end of the court.
X Factor: The health of Doncic and Reaves. The tea leaves make it apparent that the Lakers' third option could be back as soon as Game 5 against the Rockets on Wednesday night. The big question mark is whether or not Doncic will return in Round 2. And if he does, at one point in the series? And will he be himself or a compromised version?
Biggest Storyline: The NBA's most popular team versus the NBA Champs. This would be hands down the marquee matchup of the playoffs to this point.
Houston Rockets
Strength: Defense. The Rockets rebound better than any team in the NBA, they have one of the league's best defenders in Amen Thompson and they have size across the roster. Houston has a problem in a potential matchup with OKC in that their greatest strength pales in comparison to the Thunder's historic defense.
Weakness: Scoring. Outside of 37 year old Kevin Durant, the playoff version of the Rockets absolutely struggle to put the ball in the hoop. Which turns out to be fairly important in basketball.
X Factor: The health of Durant. The former Thunder MVP missed missed three of the first four games against the Lakers. His status for Game 5 is up in the air. If Houston pulls off the first ever 0-3 comeback in NBA history, they're going to need Durant at 100% to have a chance against the champs.
Biggest Storyline: Kevin Durant versus OKC. Enough said.