Thunder reach Western Conference finals, extend playoff win streak to eight games

Oklahoma City reached the Western Conference finals on May 12 by completing a 4-0 second-round sweep of the Los Angeles Lakers, and the Thunder enter the next round with an 8-0 postseason record. NBA.com’s playoff bracket lists Oklahoma City as the Western Conference finalist after first-round and second-round sweeps. The Thunder beat the Lakers 115-110 in Game 4 in Los Angeles on May 11 behind 35 points from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, according to the NBA’s game summary. That result followed a first-round sweep of the Phoenix Suns, giving Oklahoma City two straight four-game series wins to open the playoffs. The NBA’s official playoff schedule, updated May 13, shows Oklahoma City waiting for the winner of the San Antonio Spurs-Minnesota Timberwolves semifinal. (nba.com) San Antonio leads that series 3-2, with Game 6 scheduled for May 15 in Minnesota and Game 7, if necessary, set for May 17 in San Antonio. ### How did Oklahoma City get to 8-0? The NBA’s updated playoff schedule shows Oklahoma City sweeping Phoenix 4-0 in the first round and the Lakers 4-0 in the conference semifinals. (nba.com) ESPN’s playoff bracket also lists the Thunder as first-round winners over the Suns and second-round winners over the Lakers. Game results in the Lakers series show Oklahoma City winning by 18 points in Game 1, 18 in Game 2, 23 in Game 3 and five in Game 4. (nba.com) The official NBA West semifinal page says the Thunder “remain perfect in the playoffs” after closing out Los Angeles. ### What happened in the closeout game against the Lakers? Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 35 points in the 115-110 Game 4 win on May 11, and Chet Holmgren made a tiebreaking dunk with 32.8 seconds left, according to the NBA game recap. (nba.com) Ajay Mitchell added a playoff career-high 28 points as Oklahoma City finished the sweep on the road. Los Angeles cut into the deficit late before Oklahoma City closed the game at the foul line and on Holmgren’s dunk, the recap said. (nba.com) The win sent the Thunder back to the Western Conference finals for the second straight season, according to NBA.com’s playoff page. ### Who can the Thunder play in the Western Conference finals? San Antonio and Minnesota are still playing the other Western Conference semifinal. (nba.com) The NBA’s official schedule shows the Spurs leading the Timberwolves 3-2 after a 126-97 San Antonio win in Game 5. Minnesota hosts Game 6 on Friday, May 15, at 9:30 p.m. Eastern, and San Antonio would host Game 7 on Sunday, May 17, if Minnesota extends the series, according to the NBA schedule page. (nba.com) The West final is listed as Oklahoma City against “SAS/MIN,” with Oklahoma City holding home court in Games 1, 2, 5 and 7. ### What does the bracket show about Oklahoma City’s path? (nba.com) The bracket places Oklahoma City, the No. 1 seed in the West, on the conference-finals line after dispatching the No. 8 Suns and No. 4 Lakers. ESPN’s bracket and the NBA playoff page both show the Thunder advancing without a loss through two rounds. The NBA has not yet posted dates and tipoff times for the Western Conference finals games. (nba.com) The league’s May 13 update says the conference-finals schedule will be announced after the previous round ends. ### When will Oklahoma City know its next opponent? May 15 is the next date on the Western bracket because Minnesota hosts San Antonio in Game 6. (nba.com) If the Timberwolves win, the series would return to San Antonio for Game 7 on May 17, and Oklahoma City would then get the confirmed opponent for the West finals.