LOS ANGELES — The Oklahoma City Thunder swept the Los Angeles Lakers out of the NBA playoffs on Monday (Tuesday in Manila), winning 115-110 to wrap up a 4-0 series victory in what could turn out to be the final game of LeBron James’ career.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 35 points as the defending champion Thunder advanced to the Western Conference finals after sealing their second sweep of the postseason following a 4-0 first-round defeat of Phoenix.
Lakers star James, 41, is out of contract after this season and has not yet indicated whether he plans to return for a 24th campaign next term.
Oklahoma City will face either the San Antonio Spurs or Minnesota Timberwolves for a place in the NBA finals.
The Spurs and Timberwolves are tied at 2-2 in their best-of-seven semifinal series.
Monday’s defeat marked the end of Lakers icon James’ latest bid for a fifth NBA championship, sealing a disappointing end to his record 23rd season.
A star-studded Hollywood crowd including Leonardo DiCaprio, Sean Penn and Eddie Murphy flocked to courtside at the Crypto.com Arena to see if James could help the Lakers stave off elimination.
But James’ 24 points and 12 rebounds were in vain as the Thunder kept their nerve to hold off a spirited second-half fightback by the Lakers.
All eyes are now on James to see whether the four-time NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP) and 22-time NBA All-Star will decide whether to prolong his glittering career.
James, who joined the Lakers in 2018 from Cleveland, will enter the offseason as an unrestricted free agent and can listen to offers if he decides to keep playing.
Speculation has swirled over what James — who has repeatedly said he wants to play on a team capable of challenging for championships — will decide to do.
Some reports have indicated he is ready to extend with the Lakers, while others have suggested that he may consider heading elsewhere or decide to retire from the sport altogether.
The Lakers had looked in position to mount a serious title run during the final weeks of the regular season, going 15-2 in March after a string of superb performances from Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves and James.
However, a long-term injury in early April suffered by Doncic — who has not played at all during the postseason — and an injury to Reaves left the Lakers short on firepower for much of the playoffs.
James produced a vintage display to lead the Lakers to a surprise 4-2 series win over the Houston Rockets in the first round, but even with Reaves back in the line-up, the 17-time NBA champions were convincingly beaten by Oklahoma City.
Cavaliers 112, Pistons 103
Donovan Mitchell went on a record-tying second-half scoring spree as the Cleveland Cavaliers bagged a series-leveling victory over the Detroit Pistons in the NBA Eastern Conference semifinals.
Mitchell erupted for 39 points in the second half before finishing with 43 points, five rebounds and two assists while James Harden added 24 points as the Cavs knotted the best-of-seven series at 2-2 in front of a packed Rocket Arena in Cleveland.
It was the third consecutive game where Mitchell has scored 30 points or more, a run of form that has helped Cleveland climb out of a 0-2 hole to square the series.
Mitchell’s 39-point display in the second half also tied the NBA record for most points in a single half of a postseason game, set by Golden State’s Eric Floyd in 1987.
Mitchell said he had apologized to his teammates at the break after a lackluster first-half performance.
“I was trying to set the tone on offense, and I didn’t do that in the first half. I came in at half-time and told my guys, ‘It’s on me’,” Mitchell said. “I tried to make a statement in the second half.”
Detroit had looked ready to take a 3-1 advantage in the early exchanges, battling into a 56-52 lead at the half.
But seven-time NBA All-Star Mitchell took over with a virtuoso third-quarter performance, scoring 21 points in the third as Cleveland launched a jaw-dropping 25-0 run to turn the game on its head, moving into a 75-58 lead that would ultimately prove decisive.
Mitchell kept the points flowing in the fourth quarter, adding 18 more points as Detroit struggled to respond to the onslaught, with Cade Cunningham restricted to just seven points in the third and fourth quarters.
MVP contender Cunningham finished with 19 points, while Caris LeVert led the Pistons scoring with 24 from the bench.
