LeBron James, Lakers swept out of playoffs by Thunder: Highlights

The Los Angeles Lakers went down swinging.

Entering the day down 3-0 to the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference semifinals, the Lakers rallied all the way down to the wire behind 27 points from Austin Reaves, 25 from Rui Hachimura — 20 of which came in the second half — and 18 and 5 rebounds from Jaxson Hayes, whose presence in the paint played a huge role in shifting momentum late in the third quarter as the Lakers took a five-point lead into the final frame.

But Oklahoma City, like it did in the first three games, outlasted the Lakers. A Chet Holmgren dunk to retake the lead with 33 seconds on the clock, followed by two brutal misses — a LeBron James floater and an Austin Reaves 3 off the inbound — sealed LA's fate of a 115-110 loss.

A second-round sweep at the hands of the defending NBA champions.

In what might have been the final game of his storied career, James put up 24 points, 12 rebounds, three assists and a block.

That is to say, this could be the end of the LeBron era in Los Angeles — or the end, period.

James' contract expires at the end of this season, and no extension has been reached. Given rumors of James' relationship with team governor Jeanie Buss, there is plenty of reason to believe James' time in Hollywood is coming to a close.

James has been noncommittal publicly about his plans for this offseason and beyond and while many don't expect him to hang it up, his recent comments about not wanting a farewell tour fueled new speculation that he may be seriously considering retirement.

If that really was all she wrote, it was as admirable a fight as anyone could've asked for.

USA TODAY Sports provided updates and highlights of Game 4 of the playoff series between the Thunder and Lakers:

Oklahoma City Thunder vs. LA Lakers Game 4 highlights

Final: Thunder outlast Lakers 115-110 to finish off sweep

What. A. Game.

The Lakers and Thunder battled by every definition of the word throughout the entire fourth quarter. OKC went on a 7-0 run, the Lakers responded. Ajay Mitchell stayed hot from long range, but so did Rui Hachimura, who had 20 points in the second half to keep the Lakers in it all the way down to the final buzzer.

Hachimura had arguably the biggest moment late in the fourth when he drained a corner three, drew a foul from Chet Holmgren and converted the and-1 with 1:41 left to get a crucial four-point swing for LA that turned a six-point deficit into two points. Marcus Smart gave the Lakers the lead at the free throw line, but a Chet Holmgren dunk, a missed floater from LeBron James, and a missed three by Austin Reaves in the final 20 seconds proved to be the final nails in the coffin for LA's season.

End of third quarter: Lakers 84, Thunder 80

The Lakers have made this a little more interesting.

Los Angeles outscored the Thunder by eight in the third to claim a four-point lead headed into the fourth. The Lakers have tightened up on defense and have turned those stops into quality shots. Most of that action came in the later minutes of the period, after L.A. closed the quarter on a 30-14 extended run.

The Lakers shot 13-of-17 (76.5%) in the quarter, which included a pair of LeBron James 3s, one of which was from the logo. James is entering the fourth quarter of what may be his final game with 17 points on 5-of-12 shooting, 10 rebounds and 2 assists.

Dillon Brooks spotted courtside at Lakers vs. Thunder

LeBron James' latest nemesis, Phoenix Suns wing Dillon Brooks, is making the most of the early part of his offseason. Fresh off getting swept by the Thunder in the first round, Brooks is in LA to watch James and the Lakers presumably meet the same fate.

Halftime: Thunder 49, Lakers 45

LA dug themselves into a hole by getting outscored 28-19 by OKC as the Lakers failed to score at all through the first seven minutes of the second quarter to fall behind by 10 points. They've been able to claw back, however, to get back into striking distance and make this a two-possession game heading back into the locker room. The Lakers are 15-of-39 (38.5%) from the floor while the Thunder are shooting 44.2% (19-of-43).

Austin Reaves leads the Lakers in scoring with 15 points and three rebounds, while LeBron James has 10 points and six rebounds. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has 14 points and four assists for the Thunder.

Lakers 2nd quarter scoring drought ends 7 minutes in

The first Laker points of the second quarter came at the free throw line courtesy of LeBron James at the 5:32 mark. Jaxson Hayes then hit a layup for their first field goal of the quarter with just over five minutes left before halftime. LA was 0-of-9 from the field over the first 7:11 of the frame in which they entered with a five-point lead. They now trail the Thunder by 10.

OKC opens 2nd quarter with big run

Alex Caruso cannot miss right now. The former Laker opened the second quarter with back-to-back threes (he hit another one in the first and is 3-of-3 from deep) to retake the lead in within the first minute of the second quarter.

Ajay Mitchell then got a steal and took it all the way to the bucket for a fastbreak layup as the Thunder jump out to an 8-0 run to immediately get back in control of the game.

End of first quarter: Lakers 26, Thunder 21

The Lakers aren't going down without a fight. They close the opening frame on an 18-7 run to take a five-point lead, their largest of the night. And rather than let OKC hold for the final shot, Marcus Smart made up for an earlier turnover by pressing Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and ripping the ball out of his hands as the buzzer sounded.

Austin Reaves leads LA in scoring with eight points and three assists, while James has put up six points and six rebounds.

LeBron checks back into game, blocks Isaiah Hartenstein

James wasted no time after returning to the floor, meeting the OKC big man at the rim for a forceful rejection and then hitting a fadeaway jumper from the post on former teammate Alex Caruso.

7-0 OKC run gives Thunder early lead vs. Lakers

Ajay Mitchell, the star from Game 3, just drained a baseline jumper from midrange to put the Thunder up 14-8 and force a Laker timeout at the 6:42 mark of the first quarter.

OKC has started 6-of-10 for the floor while the Lakers are off to a 3-for-11 start.

Lindsey Vonn courtside at Lakers vs. Thunder Game 4

The stars are out at Crypto.com Arena for Game 4. Notably, legendary alpine skier Lindsey Vonn was spotted on the floor by California Post reporter Michael J. Duarte with a gold jersey in hand. The Olympic gold medalist is just months removed from competing in the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics on a torn ACL.

Lakers vs. Thunder Game 4 starting lineups

Here are the starting lineups for tonight's elimination game at Crypto.com Arena:

Los Angeles Lakers

• LeBron James
• Rui Hachimura
• Deandre Ayton
• Marcus Smart
• Austin Reaves

Oklahoma City Thunder

• Luguentz Dort
• Chet Holmgren
• Isaiah Hartenstein
• Ajay Mitchell
• Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

How to watch Lakers vs. Thunder Game 4

• Date: Monday, May 11, 2026
• Time: 10:30 p.m. ET (7:30 p.m. local)
• Location: Crypto.Com Arena (Los Angeles)
• TV: None
• Streaming: Amazon Prime Video

Will LeBron James be a Laker next year?

In late March this year, The Athletic's Sam Amick reported that league executives do not believe James will return to the Lakers next year.

Amick mentioned the "dysfunction in James’ relationship with the Lakers organization," with people close to the league pointing to that January report from ESPN as reason enough for James to want out. While other reports have since come out claiming the rift between James and the Lakers was blown out of proportion, the fact that no extension has been reached between the two parties hints that something else was/is in fact going on behind the scenes.

It is also entirely possible that LeBron James will retire next year. The four-time MVP has stated that he does not want a retirement tour, which could mean his retirement will be announced unexpectedly, without much fanfare surrounding it.

That said, James has also claimed he believes he could be a valuable NBA player into his late-40's. He has also stated, though, that such longevity does not seem appealing to him.

Where might James end up next year?

Some reports believe that if James does not opt for retirement, he could instead return to Cleveland for one final hoo-rah with the team he is known for. Other reports claim that the Golden State Warriors could be an option, which would certainly help boost NBA ratings as James would share the floor with longtime rival Stephen Curry. The two faced off against one another in four consecutive NBA Finals, with Curry and the Warriors emerging victorious three times.

Per The Athletic, the Warriors will have a legitimate interest in James.

When do the Lakers play the Thunder?

Game 4 against the Thunder takes place Monday night at 10:30 p.m. ET. The game will stream exclusively on Prime Video.