05/12/26 12:30:00
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05/12 00:28 CDT Champion Thunder hold off tenacious Lakers 115-110 in Game 4
for another playoff series sweep
Champion Thunder hold off tenacious Lakers 115-110 in Game 4 for another
playoff series sweep
By GREG BEACHAM
AP Sports Writer
LOS ANGELES (AP) --- Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 35 points, Chet Holmgren
made a tiebreaking dunk with 32.8 seconds to play, and the Oklahoma City
Thunder swept the Los Angeles Lakers out of the second round of the NBA
playoffs with a 115-110 victory in Game 4 on Monday night.
Ajay Mitchell scored 10 of his 28 points in the frantic final period as the
Thunder overcame the Lakers' tenacious effort and improved to 8-0 in the
playoffs with their toughest victory of the postseason.
LeBron James had 24 points and 14 rebounds in the final game of the
unprecedented 23rd season for the top scorer in NBA history, but he missed a
driving bank shot with 20 seconds left that would have put the Lakers ahead.
The 41-year-old James has repeatedly said he hasn't decided whether to play
next season, so there was no ceremony or momentousness around this game.
Instead, the Lakers desperately tried to extend their year, only to lose to
Oklahoma City for the eighth time this season.
Austin Reaves scored 27 points before missing a tying 3-point attempt with
eight seconds left for the Lakers, who advanced one round farther than almost
anybody expected after losing NBA scoring champion Luka Doncic and Reaves to
significant injuries a month ago.
Los Angeles still lost six of its final seven playoff games and fell well short
of the conference finals for the third straight season.
Oklahoma City faced its first fourth-quarter deficits of the entire playoffs in
Game 4 as the Lakers repeatedly refused to fold.
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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA
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