The Los Angeles Lakers hope home advantage can help turn the series in Game 3 against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Saturday as they trail 2-0 in the Western semifinals.
The top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder look to take a commanding 3-0 series lead when they battle the fourth-seeded Los Angeles Lakers in Game 3 of their Western Conference semifinal matchup on Saturday night in the 2026 NBA playoffs. Oklahoma City earned a 125-107 win in Game 2 on Thursday. The Thunder (64-18), the defending NBA champions, are 32-10 on the road this season, including the postseason. The Lakers (53-29), who won the Pacific Division, are 30-14 on their home court. Luka Doncic (hamstring) remains out for Los Angeles, while Jalen Williams (hamstring) is out for OKC. Jarred Vanderbilt (finger) is questionable for the Lakers.
Thunder vs Lakers Viewing information
Date: Saturday, May 9 2026
Time: 8:30 PM EDT
Channel: ABC
Stream: Fubo
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Chet Holmgren scored 22 apiece as OKC kept its winning start alive on Thursday. The current MVP of the league hasn’t been his usual high-scoring self thus far in the playoffs, not that it’s mattered to Mark Daigneault and his men as they look to keep cruising in this head-to-head.
Austin Reaves led the scoring with 31 points in Game 2 but couldn’t prevent the 125-107 defeat, with the Lakers losing by the same margin that separated these two sides in the series opener. JJ Redick’s side has now lost seven in a row against OKC, with an average of around 24 points per game separating the two franchises across that span.
Ajay Mitchell continues to impress in the guard role for the Thunder during Jalen Williams’ injury absence. Meanwhile, Doncic remains the major missing man for LA, and based on the Slovenian’s “frustrated” remarks after watching his team in Game 2, it seems unlikely he’ll be back from the hamstring strain he suffered in early April this weekend.
