LeBron James and the Lakers have their hands full in their series against the Thunder.
LeBron James has trailed 3-0 in an NBA playoff series five times before this season. James and his teams were swept three times and lost the other two series in five games.
James, who helped engineer one of the greatest comebacks in playoff history when Cleveland beat the Golden State Warriors in the 2016 Finals after falling behind 3-1, knows how difficult it is to get back in a series.
Down 3-0 to the Oklahoma City Thunder, the Lakers and James will try to extend the series in Game 4 Monday in Los Angeles (10:30 ET, Prime Video).
“We still got life, and that’s all you can ask for,” James said following the Thunder’s 131-108 victory in Game 3 Saturday. “We’ve got to be much better on Monday.”
Here are three things to watch in Game 4:
1. History is overwhelmingly on the Thunder’s side
Past results are not always predictive of future outcomes. However, there have been 162 completed series in which a team has taken a 3-0 lead and no team down 3-0 has ever won the next four games.
In the 2026 NBA Playoffs, three other teams have trailed 3-0. The Thunder beat the Phoenix Suns in four games, the Houston Rockets pushed the Lakers to six games before losing and the New York Knicks swept the Philadelphia 76ers.
Just four times in those 162 series has a team forced a Game 7: The Boston Celtics lost to the Miami Heat in 2023; the Portland Trail Blazers lost to the Dallas Mavericks in 2003; the Denver Nuggets lost to the Utah Jazz in 1994; and the New York Knicks lost to the Rochester Royals in 1951.
2. For the Lakers, it starts with James and Reaves
LeBron James drops 27 points along with six assists in Game 1 vs. the Thunder.
If the Lakers want to win a game in this series, LeBron James and Austin Reaves can’t shoot a combined 12-for-32 from the field – including 3-for-11 on 3-pointers – for 36 total points.
Yes, Reaves is just returning from an oblique injury sustained late in the season and likely is not 100%. But he had 31 points on 10-for-16 shooting in Game 2.
That’s what the Lakers need from Reaves.
James is averaging 23 points, 6.7 assists, 4.0 rebounds and 1.7 steals and shooting 51.9% from the field and 37.5% on 3-pointers against the Thunder.
Those are certainly solid stats against the league’s best defense. But it’s still not enough. This series requires James to be closer to triple-double numbers.
Then the role players – specifically Marcus Smart, Luke Kennard, Deandre Ayton – can help with better performances. Rui Hachimura has excelled offensively against the Thunder, averaging 18.3 points and shooting 57.1% on 3-pointers.
But those are difficult asks against Oklahoma City. Redick has tried to find answers by changing rotations and schemes, but the Thunder have had better counters.
The Lakers have stuck around into the third quarter but can’t hang with the Thunder, who have outscored the Lakers 189-135 in the second half.
3. The Thunder are the No. 1 seed for multiple reasons
Lakers coach JJ Redick keeps saying the Lakers must be better. He’s not wrong.
The Lakers have made too many unforced errors, and even though the Lakers have held Oklahoma City All-Star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to 10 points below his season average, the Thunder still won three games by an average of 19.7 points.
It helps to have Chet Holmgren who is averaging 21.3 points, 10 rebounds and 2.0 blocks and shooting 59.5% from the field and 45.5% on 3s.
Ajay Mitchell is averaging 20.7 points and three other players (Cason Wallace, Jared McCain and Isaiah Hartenstein) are averaging at least 10 points.
Redick called the Thunder “an incredible basketball team” and said their top 13 players would be among the top seven or eight rotation players on any other team in the league.
It is a rotation that features 10 players averaging at least 10 minutes, and those players each contribute in multiple ways.
The Thunder are loaded with offensive and defensive talent – a combination that overwhelms opponents.
Redick wasn’t resigned to a sweep: “Still think we can beat them.”
The gargantuan task against the defending champions begins with Game 4.
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Jeff Zillgitt has covered the NBA since 2008. You can email him at jzillgitt@nba.com, find his archive here and follow him on X.
