The Oklahoma City Thunder are on to the Western Conference finals, defeating the Los Angeles Lakers 115-110 Monday night to complete a series sweep. The Thunder seemed to be in the driver's seat late in the fourth, but the Lakers went on a 7-0 run to take a 110-109 lead with 40.9 seconds remaining in the game. Oklahoma City wound up scoring on the next possession to take a one-point lead with 32.8 seconds left. LeBron James then missed a layup, and Shai Gilgeous Alexander hit two free throws to make it a three-point advantage. Austin Reaves missed a 3-pointer after a Lakers timeout, and the Thunder secured the rebound, clinching the win. Oklahoma City finished the game on a 28-18 run. The Thunder are the fourth defending champion to win its first eight games of a postseason, according to ESPN Research. The previous three all went on to reach the NBA Finals, but only the Lakers in 2001 won the championship. The Thunder outscored the Lakers by 181 points in their eight meetings this season. That's the fourth-best point differential by any team against a single opponent in a season in NBA history (regular season and playoffs). Gilgeous-Alexander led the Thunder with 35 points and eight assists, and Ajay Mitchell added 28 points, capping off a strong series for the second-year guard. Reaves had a team-high 27 points, and Rui Hachimura added 25 points. In what could be his final game as an NBA player, James had 24 points and 12 rebounds. Oklahoma City will now face the winner of the series between the Minnesota Timberwolves and San Antonio Spurs.
