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We’ve already had three nights for the NBA Playoffs with two games each night. It’s been a similar story almost every night. On Monday we saw the Knicks defeat the 76ers and the Timberwolves barely beat the Spurs. On Tuesday, the Pistons won a closer game over the Cavs, while the Thunder killed the Lakers. Last night, the Knicks barely escaped the 76ers and the Spurs defeated the Timberwolves. Will we have a repeat of a close game and a blowout on Thursday’s slate?
Oklahoma City Thunder All-Star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander goes to the rim against the Phoenix Suns in Game 3 of their first-round series in the 2026 NBA Playoffs. (Ross D. Franklin/AP)
If there is going to be an explosion, it will be the Los Angeles Lakers who are affected again. In Game 1, the Lakers held off the Thunder for the first half of the game. It looked like it was going to be pretty competitive, considering Los Angeles entered the locker room trailing just eight points at halftime. The problem was that all of the Lakers’ goals came in the first half. They only scored 37 of their 90 points in the second half. As a whole, the team shot 41% from the floor, 33% from deep and 77% from the charity stripe.
In this game, they need to modify their strategy a little. I guess the easy thing to do is say Austin Reaves needs to be better. He played 36 minutes and scored just eight points on 3-of-16 shooting. Part of that is the Thunder’s defensive prowess, but a lot of that is also because they are rusty from missing time. It’s probably not completely cured either. It would also be helpful if they got some contributions from their bench. The team combined for just 15 bench points. The Thunder’s Jared McCain scored 12 points alone.
Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander dribbles against the Washington Wizards during the second half at the Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, on Oct. 30, 2025. (Alonzo Adams/Image Images)
The Oklahoma City Thunder are on their way to the championship. To be honest, if they lose more than three games this postseason, I’d be surprised. They would need a major injury to occur to lose. How good are they? They’ve won all five playoff games and don’t even have their second-best player. Sure, the Lakers are missing their best player, but they’ve only played one game. The biggest question surrounding the Thunder is not whether they will win, but whether anyone will give them a scare.
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Game 1 wasn’t even the Thunder’s best work. Sure, their defense was strong in limiting the Lakers to 90 points, but the offense wasn’t as clear cut. They still scored 108 points. However, they also had a long layoff between games, so I think we’ll see their offense improve in this one. They swept the Suns on April 27. The Lakers had to play on April 29 and May 1.
LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers gestures during the pregame ritual before the first quarter against the Houston Rockets at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas, on April 24, 2026. (Kenneth Richmond/Getty Images)
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored just 18 points in Game 1, which is the first time since Game 3 of the Western Conference Finals last season that he failed to reach 20 points. He scored 40 in the next match. The books expect him to be furious again with a total of 29.5 tonight. I think it goes overboard. I expect the Lakers to be more aggressive and better on offense. However, this would be a gamble for me.
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My official play is to take over 210.5 for the game. There really isn’t much Los Angeles offense to speak of, but if they can get to 100 points, or even 95, I think the Thunder will take control from there. I’d expect Gilgeous-Alexander to have a better game, and that correlates with the total surpassed. Give me more than 210.5.
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