Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 28 points for the Thunder, who are the defending NBA champions and hold the league-best record at 61-16. LeBron James added 23 points for the Lakers. Gilgeous-Alexander was limited to 28 minutes due to fouls. The Thunder will face the Lakers in the Western Conference semi-finals, with the first game in Oklahoma on Tuesday. The Thunder finished top of the Western Conference and swept the Phoenix Suns 4-0 in the first round.
Earlier, the Lakers closed out their first-round series against the Houston Rockets with a 98-78 win, winning the series 4-2 after leading 3-0. LeBron James scored 28 points, adding 7 rebounds and 8 assists. Amen Thompson was the Rockets' top scorer with 18 points. James, 41, is the first player to take part in 23 consecutive NBA seasons and is the NBA's record points scorer. "A lot of our guys, quite frankly, have not been in this position, have not been in a close-out situation, especially on the road, so it was important for me to go out and set the tone," James said. Redick added: "To me, he's had the greatest career of any NBA player. You can argue all you want; I don't care to postulate on who's the greatest of all time. He's one of, if not the greatest of all time, and for him to do it again and answer the bell again, it's baffling in some ways."
The Detroit Pistons beat the Orlando Magic 93-79 to level their first-round series at 3-3, overcoming a 24-point deficit. Orlando missed 23 consecutive field goals. Cade Cunningham top scored with 32 points. "Never say die, simple as that. I mean, Detroit grit, it's what we've been talking about all year," Cunningham said. Pistons coach J.B. Bickerstaff said: "Cade is just fabulous. He's the killer, the closer, all the adjectives you want to talk about. He's it. In the fourth quarter, he does his best work." The deciding game seven will be on Sunday in Detroit.
The Toronto Raptors beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 112-110 in overtime to level their series at 3-3, with RJ Barrett hitting a three-pointer with 1.2 seconds left. The home side has won each game in the series. The deciding game seven will be in Cleveland on Sunday.
The Thunder and Pistons are the respective top seeds in their conferences. The severity of Doncic's injury remains unknown, and the Lakers' outlook for the semi-finals is uncertain.