Lakers eliminated by Thunder after crushing Game 4 loss as LeBron James suffers rare sweep

The Thunder eliminated the Lakers from the playoffs with their Game 4 win.

Before the Lakers successfully ended their first round playoff series against the Rockets, coach JJ Redick explained what makes close out games so challenging.

“You have to kill them,” Redick said. “It’s difficult to kill someone. Survival instincts say, ‘I want to stay alive.’ So, you got to be able to kill them. That’s what [it takes].”

The Lakers’ sense of urgency in Monday’s Game 4 against the Thunder at Crypto.com Arena, with their season on the line, showed exactly why that’s the case.

LeBron James reacts during the Lakers’ May 11 loss to the Thunder in Game 4. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

But in the end, the Thunder killed the Lakers’ 2025-26 season, with the Lakers falling to the Thunder, 115-110, in Game 4 to be eliminated from the playoffs.

“When the season ends there’s always a whirlwind of emotions,” Redick said. “I am certainly feeling a sense of gratitude for our players, the Lakers, and our fan base. You’ve seen these 3-0 games before; I thought there were two different times during the game where our team could have gave in or let go of the rope. We didn’t.”

Each fourth-quarter bucket from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Ajay Mitchell were deep gashes into the Lakers’ chest.

The Lakers kept responding, not letting anything take away from their fight, getting big plays from everyone on the floor late. 

But there were too many daggers to recover from.

The Lakers didn’t score in the final 30 seconds. And the Thunder got dunks from Chet Holmgren and pairs of free throws from Gilgeous-Alexander and Mitchell to close out Game 4.

Austin Reaves (27 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists), Rui Hachimura (25 points), LeBron James (24 points, 12 rebounds) and Jaxson Hayes (18 points, 5 rebounds) all came up big late.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander drives to the basket during the Thunder’s Game 4 win against the Lakers on May 11. Getty Images

But the Thunder still delivered. And were simply better for the entire series.

“They’re really f—–g good,” Reaves said.

Gilgeous-Alexander led the Thunder with 35 points and eight assists.

Mitchell added 28 points on 12-of-19 shooting, while Holmgren added 16 points and nine rebounds.

What it means

The Lakers’ season ended with a four-game sweep to the defending champions — just the fourth time in James’ career his team has been swept in the playoffs. 

The other times: 2007 NBA Finals against the Spurs, 2018 Finals against the Warriors and the 2023 Western Conference finals to the Nuggets.

The Thunder will face either the Spurs or Timberwolves in the Western Conference finals.

Turning point 

When Jared McCain hit a 3-pointer to cut the Lakers’ lead from 89-84 to three with 8:24 left in the fourth. 

It provided a screeching halt to the Lakers’ momentum that they carried over from the third quarter, which they won 39-31.

MVP: Gilgeous-Alexander

The reigning league MVP saved his best game for the end of the series. 

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander looks to move the ball during the Thunder’s Game 4 win against the Lakers on May 11. Getty Images

Gilgeous-Alexander shot 11-for-22 from the field and 12-for-15 on free throws.

He and Mitchell combined for 19 of the Thunder’s 35 points in the fourth quarter.

Stat of the game: 19

Taking care of the ball was an emphasis entering the series.

The Lakers once again failed to do that, turning the ball over 19 times. Reaves had a team-worst eight turnovers, while Marcus Smart had six.

The Thunder scored 22 points off of the Lakers’ giveaways. 

Up next

Exit interviews for the Lakers, with Redick and president of basketball operations Rob Pelinka speaking with reporters on Tuesday morning.

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Houston Texans News: Texans add new RB behind D-Mo

PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA - APRIL 22: A general view of the Houston Texans sign in the tunnel during the NFL football draft at Acrisure Stadium on April 22, 2026 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Michael Owens/Getty Images) | Getty Images

Houston Texans News

Texans Cut Recent Draft Pick, Add Former Steelers RB Behind David Montgomery (Heavy.com)

Texans sign draft picks Kamari Ramsey ($4.94 million), Lewis Bond ($4.64 million), Aiden Fisher ($4.50 million) (KPRC 2 Houston)

Houston Texans 2026 Cheerleader tryouts heat up with high energy (KRIV 26 Houston)

Nico Collins: I started my career in Houston, want to end it there (Pro Football Talk)

NFL News

Bills to open new stadium in Week 2 vs. Lions (ESPN.com)

Cowboys open at NYG, host Eagles on Turkey Day (ESPN.com)

Sources: Chargers land TE Njoku on 1-year deal (ESPN.com)

Vikes surprise Peterson with ring of honor news (ESPN.com)

Morton, SB starter for Cowboys and Broncos, dies (ESPN.com)

Steelers reward Boswell with 4-year, $28M deal (ESPN.com)

Bills boost pass-rush depth with ex-Chief Danna (ESPN.com)

SB LIX dancer found guilty of resisting officer (ESPN.com)

Houston & Collegiate Sports

Inside Astros’ experiment to stretch out Kai-Wei Teng amid rotation’s struggles (Houston Chronicle)

MLB exec says Astros could get historic haul for Yordan Alvarez (Chron.com)

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Expectations already sky-high for the NBA's draft class of 2026, and the picks are still weeks away

CHICAGO (AP) — AJ Dybantsa is calling it already: The NBA draft class of 2026, in his mind, is one of the best in the history of the league.

And nobody has even been drafted yet.

If there is one characteristic that the players expected to be at the very top of next month's draft share, it is confidence. They know they're good, and they don't mind telling you that they're good. And for the teams now in position to get those top players — Washington at No. 1, Utah at No. 2, Memphis at No. 3 and Chicago at No. 4 — the next few weeks are going to be teeming with promise.

“Since I’m in this draft class, I’m going to say we’re one of the best draft classes,” said Dybantsa, who led Division I men's college basketball in scoring this past season. "We’ll see how that pans out and how our careers pan out, but if you ask me right now, I think we’re one of the best draft classes.”

Fair enough.

An unforeseen trade or something popping up in the medical exams that will take place over the next few weeks could change things, but for now, it seems like the first four names Commissioner Adam Silver will call on June 23 will be BYU's Dybantsa, Kansas' Darryn Peterson, Duke's Cameron Boozer and North Carolina's Caleb Wilson.

They are not the only four good players in this draft. Far from it, it seems. But there does seem to be a significant amount of star power at the top, which made Sunday's draft lottery feel perhaps a bit more consequential than others.

“I feel like it can be the best ever," Wilson said when asked how good the Class of 2026 can be. "We have a deep draft and I feel like everybody wants to play hard and prove themselves. And it’s just a matter of time before we can do that.”

Indiana was devastated not to get a pick after having the league's second-worst record this season. The Pacers — who made the NBA Finals a year ago — surrendered the No. 5 pick to the Los Angeles Clippers to help pay off the trade made this season for center Ivica Zubac, who surely is going to help Indiana when Tyrese Haliburton returns from his torn Achilles.

But to miss out on grabbing some of the talent available this year, put simply, that hurt Pacers President of Basketball Operations Kevin Pritchard.

“Today, it stings,” Pritchard said. “But wait ‘til next season. Let’s give this group an opportunity to go compete for a championship, because they've proven they can do it.”

Wizards President Michael Winger likes to get into the math of things, and he knows a 14% chance isn't exactly great. But it was as good as anyone else in that draft lottery, and in the end it was good enough to get Washington that No. 1 pick.

But why?

“I don’t have a compelling answer for that. I think that ultimately it was just our time. I think it was time to get that pick," Winger said. "Whether it’s because there’s a special athlete at the top of the draft that we want or organizationally we’re ready for a player like that, whatever the case may be ... the basketball gods decided that this was our year.”

The Wizards were the big winner. They weren't the only winner.

Oklahoma City gets a lottery pick in this draft because of the years and years and years that general manager Sam Presti spent on collecting both good players and draft capital. That means the reigning champions — maybe back-to-back champions by draft time — will only get even better.

The Clippers got a top-five pick, Memphis gets a No. 3 pick, Chicago's rebuild will see the Bulls land an extremely good player, and Utah — which was fined $500,000 this year for sitting some players in the fourth quarters of games — is sitting at No. 2.

“Agree to disagree,” is what Jazz owner Ryan Smith famously wrote when the NBA hit him for the half-million-dollar fine. The credo now might be wait and see; the Jazz have a lot of young talent, and now will get even deeper on that front.

Jazz guard Keyonte George was at Sunday's lottery. He said the Jazz are keeping the receipts — his way of saying yes, Utah has taken note of all the tanking talk that dogged the team this season.

“We’re going to make sure we go at our own pace, understand we’re a new group and we’re on our journey to something special," George said. "But yeah, as a group, we’ll have a chip on our shoulder for sure.”

There's a lot of basketball left to be played this season. New York is in the NBA's final four already, awaiting Cleveland or Detroit in the Eastern Conference finals. Oklahoma City can get back to the Western Conference finals on Monday, and if the Thunder get there they'll be waiting for either San Antonio or Minnesota.

But draft talk is picking up speed. And given how much talent is out there, that's understandable.

“A lot of people are saying we’re the best class in the last 10 years,” Peterson said. "So, we’re going to try our best to be that.”

___

AP NBA: https://apnews.com/nba

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Bengals News (5/11): No contract drama with Cashius Howell

Feb 26, 2026; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Texas A&M defensive lineman Cashius Howell (DL41) during the NFL Scouting Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Cashius Howell just made every Bengals fan breathe a sigh of relief after participating in first day of rookie minicamp
Cincinnati watched last year’s first-round pick, Shemar Stewart, sit out of the entire offseason program before signing his rookie deal during the beginning of training camp. It doesn’t sound like Howell is going to take the same approach despite being unsigned unlike most of his fellow draftees.

How Bengals Rookie WR Colbie Young Put Himself And His City On The Map
“Full circle story. Ups and downs,” Young says. “The hardest part is not a lot of people make it out of there … It’s a great town. Everybody knows everybody. Very peaceful at times … There’s just not a lot of exposure.”

Rookie Minicamp Quick Hits | Jack Dingle’s Favorite Bengal Hints At His Style; Why New O-Linemen Feel At Home As Bengals
“I want to be a part of this culture. I did local day here (a week before the draft) and I got to know a little about Coach. It’s a tough, gritty, Cincinnati culture. Just like I had at Cincinnati. They’re a family-oriented team. It’s great to be a part of it.”

Bengals’ waiver wire signing won’t prevent more moves
But this is a Bengals team adamant about building around and supporting Demetrius Knight and Barrett Carter. And the team didn’t do nearly enough last year to find a proper veteran leader and quality depth, merely signing the likes of Oren Burks.

Another Ravens free agent sounds like he wants to join Bengals
“I will say, I did enjoy, when I was at the Pro Bowl, getting to know Joe Burrow, just seeing how he locked in for a flag football game and the competitive side that he has and how he turns it on,” Van Noy said.

Cincinnati Bengals rookie minicamp: Thoughts on 5 newcomers on first day
The most important piece of news coming out Friday was that unsigned draft picks Cashius Howell (second round, Texas A&M) and Tacario Davis (third round, Washington) both signed the participation waiver despite being the last two rookies from this class that have not signed. Remember, last year, that’s where the trouble began for Shemar Stewart, and it didn’t end until his rookie contract dispute spilled into the first week of training camp.

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Nets could land new franchise face — if NBA draft lottery is kind to them

CHICAGO — The Nets don’t have the face of their franchise.

Lottery luck Sunday in Chicago (3 p.m. on ESPN) could change that.

Brooklyn hasn’t drafted a homegrown All-Star in over a decade, dating back to Brook Lopez. But in a generational class with a trio of projected franchise-changers, the Nets go into Sunday’s lottery tied for the best odds of winning the No. 1 pick (14.0 percent) and of landing a coveted top 3 pick (40.15 percent).

BYU wing AJ Dybantsa, Kansas guard Darryn Peterson and Duke big Cam Boozer are all viewed as face-of-the-franchise stars, with North Carolina’s Caleb Wilson an elite prospect who could conceivably turn that Big Three into a Fantastic Four.

“If I got another guy here who really is able to create and draw some attention, and now I’m getting two or three wide-open 3s a game, it would really help us,” Michael Porter Jr. said on the Road Trippin’ podcast.

“That’s what we’re [looking for]. I’ve talked to the front office, and that would be a big thing for us. I think we’re going to get a good draft pick, and then we’ve got the most money in the NBA to go get a really good playmaking two-guard or point guard; that would just help.”

Forward AJ Dybantsa reacts to scoring a career high and new freshman record during the second half of BYU’s win over rival UTAh on Jan. 24, 2026, in Provo, Utah. AP

Despite a glaring need for a playmaker, Brooklyn is talent-poor enough that it will almost certainly draft the best available player and trade or sign a guard if needed. With the Nets owning Houston swap rights on next year’s pick — in a class already seen as weak — Sunday marks their best shot at a young star.

Dybantsa, Peterson or Boozer are all perceived cornerstones, and Wilson could be as well. If they fall outside the top 4, there are a host of guards in Kingston Flemings, Darius Acuff Jr., Keaton Wagler and Mikel Brown Jr.

Could sliding as they did last year prompt Brooklyn to be more aggressive in the trade market?

They can’t dip below the seventh pick, but their likeliest landing spots are sixth (26.02 percent chance) or fifth (14.82 percent chance).

Cameron Boozer drives on Flory Bidunga during the first half of Duke’s win over Kansas in the State Farm Classic on Nov. 18, 2025 at Madison Square Garden. Robert Sabo for NY Post

A franchise that has been one of the league’s most star-crossed will send owner Joe Tsai to the team drawing room and Hall of Famer Vince Carter to the dais seeking some much-needed luck.

“I’m excited to be representing the Nets at the draft lottery this weekend,” Carter said in a message recorded for Brooklyn fans. “I’m hoping I can bring us some luck. Stay tuned. Go Nets.”

The Nets need luck more than their lottery co-leaders, as Indiana reached the Finals a year ago and Washington added Anthony Davis and Trae Young. Brooklyn lacks a star, and this is its best opportunity for one.

Kansas guard Darryn Peterson Charles Wenzelberg/New York Post

To drive that point home, the Mavs, Spurs, 76ers and Hornets got the first four picks last year, and vaulted from averaging 29 wins to 44. But the Jazz, Wizards, Pelicans and Nets settled for the next four selections, and after averaging 20.5 wins were right back in the cellar again with 21.

The lottery has rarely been kind to the Nets, with top 8 odds 10 times and only moving up twice: winning in 1990 to land Derrick Coleman and again a decade later to pick Kenyon Martin. Within two years they’d made the Finals.

Their lucky charm in the drawing room that day in 2000 — ex-team president Finn Wentworth — told The Post a successful Sunday could spark a similar meteoric rise.

“Ours was the worst draft. This is arguably the best draft in the modern era,” Wentworth told The Post. “They don’t need to get the first pick in this draft, it’s so deep. If they get one of the top 3 picks, they’ve got a force to coalesce around.

“If they can get one of the top 3 picks in this draft, they can coalesce around this guy, that’s going to go ahead and become a cornerstone.

“This is one of those drafts where it’s very, very deep. You have three or four guys that are A-pluses, and then you have a bunch of A’s.”

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49ers News: Happy Mothers Day y’all

PALO ALTO, CA - NOVEMBER 26: Christian McCaffrey #5 of the Stanford Cardinal is greeted by his mother Lisa McCaffrey (white poncho) following an NCAA football game against the Rice Owls played on November 26, 2016 at Stanford Stadium in Palo Alto, California. (Photo by David Madison/Getty Images) | Getty Images

Five Major Takeaways from 49ers Rookie Minicamp
“You can tell he played left tackle for six years in college. He’s built like a left tackle, which means he carries his weight effortlessly. In fact, he wears no. 74 — Joe Staley’s old number — and even moves a bit like him. 

Willis is moving to guard because he has short arms. But he already looks like a better athlete than Connor Colby, who started six games at left guard as a rookie last season. I wouldn’t be surprised if Willis beats out Colby for that job this year.”

NFL writer believes 49ers WR Ricky Pearsall is headed for a breakout season
“Last year coming into the season and healed up from the gunshot wound: PCL, knee injury, ankle, inconsistency, and a lack of availability,” Whitner said. “That’s Year two. Now we did see him flash. We did see his ability to separate. We did see him make plays, but we didn’t see it when it counted. 

“Now you go into Year three. If Ricky Pearsall misses around 50% of the availability in the games this year, I can say that it’s probably over for the perception of Ricky Pearsall developing into a number-one wide receiver in Kyle Shanahan’s offense.”

“Pearsall has been written off in many circles,” Davenport added. “But there’s a legitimate scenario where Pearsall has far and away the best season of his career this year.”

Raheem Morris shares why choosing the 49ers was ‘an easy choice for me’
“Saleh was a man of few words. That does not appear to be the case with Morris.”

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49ers News: Start up the rookie hype machine

How Raheem Morris plans to bring more ‘multiplicity’ to 49ers’ defensive line (paywall)
“League rules prevented the 49ers’ rookies from working on site until Thursday. Stribling, however, has been training all week in nearby Los Gatos, which is where he prepared for the combine.”

Kawakami: Big plays, no drama? De’Zhaun Stribling and the 49ers’ WR dreams (paywall)
“And then on Thursday, at the start of this week’s short rookie minicamp, Stribling calmly walked in front of cameras and recorders and made it even clearer. 

This guy probably isn’t the total opposite of Aiyuk, Deebo, and Jennings, but he sure seems less likely to combust on the 49ers the way each of those three players did at different points and in varying degrees. 

Notably, he’s not a young rookie — he played at three schools (Washington State, Oklahoma State, and Mississippi) and is 23 — and Stribling comes off as even more mature than that. Like he’s got the world view of a steely five-year veteran. 

“My father was a Marine for 17 years, right?” Stribling said. “So he kind of instilled a lot of discipline and a great work ethic in me. I’m a very calm person outside of football. Just kind of going through life. But when the pads come on and I’m on the field, I turn into a different mentality. 

“I’m very process-oriented, very goal-oriented person. I like to get everything done to my maximum ability.”” 

49ers rookie minicamp takeaways: Mykel Williams makes promising return (paywall)
“The former first-round pick underwent a mobility and resistance workout on a side field for about a half hour. 

It appeared to be a promising development as Williams, who also tore the lateral meniscus in his right knee on Nov. 2, prepares for training camp in July and August. 

General manager John Lynch has said he would expect Williams to observe a gradual ramp-up in participation during camp. His recovery is not as far along as that of star counterpart Nick Bosa, who also tore the ACL in his right knee, but about a month and a half earlier on Sept. 21. Bosa did not suffer additional damage to any surrounding ligaments, unlike Williams.”

How the 49ers’ offseason plan was shaped by Seahawks’ defensive dominance (paywall)
“Call it the Seattle Shove. The 49ers were kicked around by the Super Bowl champion Seahawks last year, and Seattle’s defensive domination pushed the 49ers to upgrade the offensive areas in which they were exposed as deficient.” 

49ers sign six of their eight draft picks
“The San Francisco 49ers announced that they have signed the following six of their eight draft picks.

• WR De’Zhaun Stribling, Mississippi
• RB Kaelon Black, Indiana
• OT Carver Willis, Washington
• CB Ephesians Prysock, Washington
• LB Jaden Dugger, Louisiana
• OT Enrique Cruz, Kansas”

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