Shai Drops 35 and Chet Seals It: Thunder Complete Perfect Sweep of Lakers

The Oklahoma City Thunder just put on a clinic in closing time. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander torched the Lakers for 35 points, Chet Holmgren delivered the dagger with a tiebreaking dunk with 32.8 seconds left, and OKC rolled to a 115-110 victory in Game 4 on Monday night. That's a clean sweep. The Thunder are now 8-0 in the playoffs and looking absolutely unstoppable.

The Grind It Out Victory

This wasn't the prettiest win of the postseason for Oklahoma City, and that's exactly why it matters. The Lakers came out fighting, refusing to quit despite facing elimination. Los Angeles tied things up late and forced the Thunder into their first fourth-quarter deficits of the entire playoffs in Game 4. That's pressure. That's desperation. But OKC answered the bell when it mattered most.

Ajay Mitchell was a monster off the bench, pouring in 10 of his 28 points in the chaotic final period. The kid showed poise when the game was on the line. Meanwhile, the Lakers threw everything at the Thunder and still came up short. Austin Reaves scored 27 points and had a chance to tie it with 8 seconds left on a 3-pointer, but couldn't convert. LeBron James, playing his 23rd and potentially final season at age 41, chipped in 24 points and 14 rebounds. He even had a look to take the lead with 20 seconds remaining on a driving bank shot, but it rimmed out.

The Lakers' Valiant Effort Falls Short

You have to give Los Angeles credit here. They came into this series as massive underdogs after losing Luka Doncic and dealing with significant injuries to Austin Reaves just a month ago. The fact that they pushed this series to four games and made OKC work for every possession says something about their fight.

But the numbers don't lie. The Lakers lost six of their final seven playoff games and fell well short of the conference finals for the third straight season. They came up against a Thunder team that's hitting on all cylinders and frankly, there's no shame in that. OKC is 8-0 in the postseason and showing no signs of slowing down.

As for LeBron, the 41-year-old hasn't committed to playing next season, so there's been no fanfare around this potential finale. The focus has stayed on basketball, and the basketball said Oklahoma City is the team to beat right now. The Thunder advance deeper into the playoffs with a perfect record and momentum that looks scary good heading forward.

This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.