In Monday night's first second-round matchup, the Cavaliers were looking to tie things up before the series shifted back to Detroit for Game 5. They were successful in doing so thanks to a 43-point eruption from Donovan Mitchell and a 24-0 run midway through the game.
Later, on the West Coast, the Lakers attempted to stave off elimination at the hands of the reigning champs, a Thunder squad that entered the tilt with a 3–0 lead in the series. Oklahoma City came away with the four-game sweep despite Los Angeles giving it everything it had in a thrilling, closer-than-expected finish. L.A. is now out of the postseason and will have much to discuss in the coming months as (impending free agent) LeBron James works out the next steps in his career. The Thunder, meanwhile, are 8–0 in these playoffs and advance to the Western Conference finals.
The Thunder are genuinely unstoppable
It’s getting a little exhausting writing about how good the Thunder are. But if Game 4 reinforced anything, it’s that this team will always perform in crunch time because its depth and its playmakers are just that good. Remember: Jalen Williams didn’t even play in this series.
Ajay Mitchell (28 points) stepped up big-time. Jared McCain (13 points, +27 +/-) came off the bench and made stuff happen. And when the Thunder are down, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander elevates his game and brings ‘em back up. Another Finals appearance feels inevitable.
Turnovers come back to bite the Lakers … again
The Thunder won the turnover battle once again in Game 4, forcing the Lakers into 19 turnovers while coughing the ball up just 11 times themselves. Austin Reaves in particular struggled with turnovers, giving up the ball eight times in Monday’s loss. Turnovers had been an issue for the Lakers throughout the series, but they needed to be absolutely perfect against a team like the Thunder, especially without their top scorer, Luka Dončić, on the floor.
Los Angeles still had a chance to win Game 4 and extend the series at least one more game, but Oklahoma City’s defense—highlighted by four steals from Mitchell, the new postseason hero—still found a way to shine in what was the Lakers’ best performance of the series.
Donovan Mitchell took matters into his own hands to even the series
At halftime in Cleveland, Mitchell had just four points; it looked like an off night for the superstar guard. But he turned things around quickly in the second half, when the Cavaliers went on a wild 24–0 run to take control of the game.
Mitchell had 39 points in the second half—tied for the most in a half in NBA playoff history—to finish with 43 on the night. He knocked down 13 of his 15 free throw attempts and went 4-for-12 from three-point range. Mitchell’s 15 free throws were more than the Pistons took combined (12), which Detroit coach J.B. Bickerstaff had plenty to say about postgame.
Cleveland has yet to drop a home game thus far in these playoffs, and they evened the series at two games apiece as the teams head back to Detroit. James Harden added 24 points and Evan Mobley had 17 as the Cavs’ star trio provided the offense; their defense, meanwhile, completely swallowed Detroit’s starting five. It was Mitchell’s night, though, in one of the best single-half performances in league history.
Detroit’s Game 4 playmakers came off the bench
Much has already been made of Jalen Duren's decline in the 2026 postseason. But Monday night marked the fifth time that the All-Star big man has been held to single-digit points (8) in the playoffs after he was held to less than 10 points in just six of his 70 regular-season games. He also had just two rebounds; in both of the Pistons' wins this series, Duren recorded at least 10.
Detroit will need a lot more from Duren if it hopes to advance. Duren knows this—"I just gotta be better, man. I got no excuses," he said after the game—but actions mean more than words at this point.
To be fair, he wasn't the only one who struggled on Monday. Ausar Thompson finished with just four points, and he, like Duren, turned the ball over four times. The squad as a whole seemed unable to keep up with Cleveland's momentum, especially during the Cavs' 24-point run from late in the first half to early in the second half. A solid effort from Detroit's bench—Caris LeVert had 24 points and Paul Reed 15 points—kept the team in the game, but the Pistons will never pull off the series win if they have a stretch like the one they had in Game 4.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as NBA Playoffs: Four Takeaways After Thunder Sweep Lakers, Cavaliers Square Up With Pistons.
