The Los Angeles Lakers and the Oklahoma City Thunder begin their second-round battle in this showdown at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City. Will the Lakers stun the reigning champs on the road? Or, will the Thunder extend their winning streak in the playoffs?

Catch this game live on Wednesday, May 6, 2026 at 8:30 AM, Manila time.

Away: Los Angeles Lakers (0-0)

Projected Starting Five:

  • Marcus Smart
  • Austin Reaves
  • Luke Kennard
  • LeBron James
  • Deandre Ayton

The Lakers survived the first round of the NBA Playoffs against the Houston Rockets without Luka Doncic, and they’ll be in the same predicament in the second round — at least in Game 1 of the series versus Oklahoma City. The Thunder are simply a different beast for Los Angeles to tame, especially without the services of the injured Doncic. 

LeBron James showed in Round 1 that he can still lead a team to a series win, having averaged 23.2 points, 8.3 assists and 7.2 rebounds, but expecting him to have more success against the reigning NBA champs could be too much. Rui Hachimura, Marcus Smart and Deandre Ayton all have to take it up a notch on both sides of the floor. Austin Reaves return, meanwhile, gives LA a boost.

Home: Oklahoma City Thunder (0-0)

Projected Starting Five:

  • Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
  • Luguentz Dort
  • Ajay Mitchell
  • Chet Holmgren
  • Isaiah Hartenstein

One thing to know about the Thunder heading into the Los Angeles series is that they absolutely owned the Lakers in the regular season. Oklahoma City won each of those four matchups convincingly. The lowest margin in those games was nine. That gives everyone a great idea of how rosy the Thunder’s life is when they’re playing Los Angeles. 

And speaking of dominance, the Thunder just grabbed the Phoenix Suns and threw them out of the window in a first-round sweep. Without Doncic, the Lakers are bound to struggle even more in matching OKC’s firepower. During the first round, the Thunder posted a 126.9 offensive rating. But the Thunder can also smother any team with its defense, which ranked first overall in the league in the regular season with a 106.5 defensive rating.

Picks

Spread: Oklahoma City Thunder (-15.5)
Over/Under: Under (214.0)