NBC to air Thunder‑Lakers Game 3 Saturday, May 9, as West semifinal shifts to LA
- Oklahoma City takes a 2-0 lead into Game 3 against the Lakers on Saturday, May 9, but the game is on ABC — not NBC. - The Thunder won Game 2, 125-107, after winning Game 1, 108-90; Austin Reaves scored 31 in Game 2, but OKC controlled both games. - That matters because the series now shifts to Los Angeles with the Lakers already in a hole, and the TV detail in the original framing was wrong.
The real story here is the series, not the network. Oklahoma City and the Lakers are back on Saturday, May 9, for Game 3 of the Western Conference semifinals in Los Angeles. But the key correction is simple — this game is scheduled for ABC at 8:30 p.m. Eastern, not NBC. The Thunder also aren’t just coming off one bad Lakers loss. They’ve taken the first two games and carry a 2-0 lead into Crypto.com Arena. ### Wait — is this game actually on NBC? No. The official NBA playoff schedule lists Thunder at Lakers Game 3 for Saturday, May 9, at 8:30 p.m. ET on ABC. NBC and Peacock do have playoff games this weekend, but not this one. On the same Saturday slate, Detroit-Cleveland is on NBC and Peacock at 3 p.m. ET, and Spurs-Timberwolves Game 4 lands there Sunday night. (nba.com) ### So what happened in the first two games? Oklahoma City handled both. Game 1 was a 108-90 Thunder win on May 5. Game 2 on May 7 was even louder — 125-107. That means the Lakers are heading home down 0-2, which is the part that actually raises the stakes for Saturday. Lose again, and the series starts looking less like a contest and more like a countdown. (nba.com) ### Was Game 2 really that one-sided? Basically, yes. Austin Reaves had 31 for the Lakers, which usually gives Los Angeles a real chance. It didn’t here. Oklahoma City had balance, pace, and way more control. The Thunder page for the series highlights Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Chet Holmgren, and Ajay Mitchell among the Game 2 drivers, and the final margin got to 18. That’s not a fluky one-possession swing game — that’s a team dictating terms. (nba.com) ### Why does the shift to Los Angeles matter? Because this is where the Lakers finally get the one lever they haven’t had yet — home court. Through two games, every pressure point favored Oklahoma City. The crowd was in OKC. The Thunder controlled tempo. The Lakers were reacting. Game 3 is the first chance for Los Angeles to make this feel messy and emotional instead of clean and schematic. But the catch is that home court only matters if the Lakers can actually change the basketball. (nba.com) ### What has to change for the Lakers? They need more than one hot scoring night. Reaves can’t be the only clean source of offense, and the Lakers have to keep Oklahoma City out of those long stretches where the Thunder get stops, run, and stack quick scores. In Game 1, the Lakers scored only 90. In Game 2, they got to 107 and still lost by 18. That tells you the problem isn’t just shot-making — it’s control. (nba.com) ### Why is Oklahoma City so comfortable here? Because the Thunder keep winning in different shapes. In Game 1, they held the Lakers to 90. In Game 2, they exploded for 125. That’s what makes a top seed scary in May — they don’t need one script. If defense carries one night and depth carries the next, the opponent runs out of easy adjustments fast. (nba.com) ### What should viewers actually watch Saturday night? Watch the first six minutes. If the Lakers come out with force, get downhill, and make the arena matter, then Game 3 can reset the feel of the series. If Oklahoma City looks calm early and gets to its usual flow, then the 2-0 lead starts to feel even bigger than it already is. The network mix-up is minor. The series score is not. (nba.com) ### Bottom line Game 3 is real leverage for the Lakers, but the cleanest takeaway is that the original setup had the TV piece wrong. Saturday night is Thunder-Lakers in Los Angeles on ABC, with Oklahoma City already up 2-0 and in control of the series. (nba.com)
