By Joel Reyes

 

The top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder and the No. 4 seed Los Angeles Lakers will face off in the 2026 NBA Western Conference Semifinals starting on Wednesday (PH time).

 

Alta Sports breaks down this best-of-seven series, identifying the key players for both teams, their previous head-to-head matchups, as well as the schedule for their upcoming games. 

 

 

Game 1 – LA Lakers at Oklahoma City (Wednesday, May 6, 8:30 a.m.)

 

Game 2 – LA Lakers at Oklahoma City (Friday, May 8, 9:30 a.m.)

 

Game 3 – Oklahoma City at LA Lakers (Sunday, May 10, 8:30 a.m.)

 

Game 4 – Oklahoma City at LA Lakers (Tuesday, May 12, 10:30 a.m.)

 

Game 5 – (if necessary) – LA Lakers at Oklahoma City (Thursday, May 14, TBD)

 

Game 6 – (if necessary) – Oklahoma City at LA Lakers (Sunday, May 17, TBD)

 

Game 7 – (if necessary) – LA Lakers at Oklahoma City (Tuesday, May 19, TBD)

 

 

Oklahoma City and Los Angeles met four times in the regular season, with the Thunder winning all of those matches. OKC stamped its class in those meetings, winning by an average of 29.3 points.

 

 

 

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander made sure OKC’s title defense got off to a spectacular start in the first round of this year’s playoffs, averaging 33.8 points and 8.0 assists in the four-game sweep against the Suns.

 

 

LeBron James turned back the clock in the Lakers’ series win against the Rockets, averaging 23.2 points, 8.3 assists, and 7.2 rebounds through six games. With Luka Doncic remaining sidelined because of a hamstring injury, the onus is on James to lead the Lakers’ offense against the defending NBA champs.