Lakers, Thunder Open Series Tuesday on Nba Schedule Today
nba schedule today puts the Lakers and Oklahoma City Thunder on the same court Tuesday to open their Western Conference semifinal series. The Lakers got here by beating the Houston Rockets in six games, while Oklahoma City enters after sweeping its first-round matchup and finishing the regular season at 64-18.
Redick Leans on Group Belief
JJ Redick said he had no doubt the Lakers could rebuild after the injuries that hit late in the regular season and still give themselves a shot in the playoffs. “I had no doubt in my mind that we could get the group back and build the belief and confidence and be able to execute and give ourselves an opportunity to win a playoff series,” he said.
He added, “And then go take on the world champions and be competitive in that.” The quote matches the size of the task. Los Angeles is trying to extend a run that survived the first round without Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves, both of whom were lost to regular-season ending injuries in Oklahoma City.
Thunder Pressure Meets Lakers Rotation
The matchup tilts toward Oklahoma City on both ends of the floor. The Thunder posted a 117.6 offensive rating and a 106.5 defensive rating in the regular season, compared with the Lakers’ 117.0 offensive rating, 115.5 defensive rating and 1.5 net rating.
That gap shows up in the star and role-player numbers. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander averaged 31.1 points, 4.3 rebounds and 6.6 assists during the regular season, then lifted his first-round line to 33.8 points on 55.1% shooting with eight assists against the Phoenix Suns. Chet Holmgren averaged 17.1 points, 8.9 rebounds and 1.9 blocks, and Isaiah Joe added 11.1 points.
Series History Favors Oklahoma City
The teams met three times in the regular season, and Oklahoma City won all three by 121-92 on Nov. 12, 2025, 119-110 on Feb. 9 and 139-96 on April 2. That April meeting was the most damaging for Los Angeles, because Doncic and Reaves left that game with injuries and have not restored the same available core for this series.
For the Lakers, the path now runs through a deeper Thunder team and a shorter rotation. LeBron James averaged 20.9 points, 6.1 rebounds and 7.2 assists, Reaves had 23.6 points, 4.7 rebounds and 5.5 assists before the injury, and Deandre Ayton finished the season at 12.5 points and 8.0 rebounds. Marcus Smart is part of the available backcourt group, but Los Angeles still opens this semifinal carrying the burden of those lost scoring and playmaking minutes.
