Home BASKETBALL NBA LeBron and Lakers Eliminated as Oklahoma City Completes Sweep

LeBron and Lakers Eliminated as Oklahoma City Completes Sweep

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Oklahoma City Vs Lakers
Lakers’ playoff run ends as Thunder secure sweep

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 35 points as the defending champions eliminated the Lakers and set up a matchup with San Antonio or Minnesota.


Injuries to Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves deraile the Lakers after a 15-2 March run had them looking like contenders...


The Oklahoma City Thunder knocked the Los Angeles Lakers out of the playoffs on Monday, closing out a 4-0 sweep with a 115-110 win in what may have been the last game of LeBron James’ career.


Shai Gilgeous-Alexander dropped 35 points as the defending champs advanced to the Western Conference finals. It’s Oklahoma City’s second sweep of the postseason, after they also swept Phoenix in the first round.


At 41, James is now a free agent and hasn’t said yet whether he’ll come back for a 24th season next year.


The Thunder will play either the San Antonio Spurs or Minnesota Timberwolves for a spot in the NBA Finals. That series is tied 2-2 heading into Game 5.




Monday’s loss ended James’ latest run at a fifth title, closing out a disappointing finish to his record-setting 23rd season.


A packed http://Crypto.com Arena crowd with Leonardo DiCaprio, Sean Penn, and Eddie Murphy courtside watched to see if James could keep the Lakers alive.


His 24 points and 12 rebounds weren’t enough, as Oklahoma City held steady and fended off a Lakers second-half push.


Now the focus turns to James. The four-time MVP and 22-time All-Star hasn’t said yet if he’ll extend his career.




James arrived in Los Angeles from Cleveland in 2018 and will hit free agency this summer. If he chooses to keep playing, he’ll be free to talk to any team.


What he decides next has been a hot topic. James has said multiple times he wants to be on a roster that can contend for a title.


Reports are split: some say he’s leaning toward re-signing with the Lakers, others think he could look elsewhere or walk away from the game.


The Lakers looked like real contenders late in the regular season, going 15-2 in March behind strong play from Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves, and James.




That momentum didn’t carry over. Doncic went down with a long-term injury in early April and missed the entire postseason, and Reaves also got hurt, leaving L.A. short on scoring for most of the playoffs.


James rolled back the years in the first round, powering the Lakers to an upset 4-2 win over Houston. But even with Reaves back, the 17-time champs couldn’t keep up with Oklahoma City and fell decisively.
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