Two NBA heavyweights will meet in the playoffs for the first time when Lebron James’ Lakers visit reigning NBA MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Oklahoma City Thunders to kick off Round 2 of the playoffs.
After winning three straight against Houston in the first round, it took the Lakers until Game 6 to advance into the second round in a series that saw the return of Austin Reeves. Now, the Lakers will take on the No. 1 seed in the West.
The Oklahoma City Thunder advanced easily, sweeping the Phoenix Suns in four games. The defending NBA champs come into this series having already swept their season series against the Lakers. Of the four wins, only one was decided by less than a 29-point gap.
Both teams are heading into the second round missing key players. The Lakers are still without Luca Doncic after he suffered a Grade 2 hamstring strain on April 2 (in a game against the Thunder), but sources told the California Post that he’s expected to miss the first two games, leaving a door open for a Game 3 return.
Oklahoma City’s Jalen Williams has also been out with a hamstring injury, and his status for tonight’s Game 1 is uncertain.
The next game in the Lakers-Thunder series is scheduled for Thursday night.
Tonight’s (May 5) Game 1 between the Los Angeles Lakers and OKC Thunder is scheduled to tip off at 8:30 p.m. ET.
If you don’t have cable, you’ll need a live TV streaming service to stream the game for free.
DIRECTV is our top pick for watching basketball live for free — its five-day free trial includes ESPN (plus nearly every other channel you’ll need for the rest of the NBA postseason). When the trial is over, you’ll pay as low as $49.99/month and gain access to over 90 live channels.
You can also stream the NBA playoffs with a subscription to Peacock, which costs $16.99/month after a seven-day free trial.
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This article was written by Angela Tricarico, Commerce Streaming Reporter for Post Wanted Shopping, Page Six, and Decider.com. Angela keeps readers up to date with cord-cutter-friendly deals, and information on how to watch your favorite sports teams, TV shows, and movies on every streaming service. Not only does Angela test and compare the streaming services she writes about to ensure readers are getting the best prices, but she’s also a superfan specializing in the intersection of shopping, tech, sports, and pop culture. When she’s not writing about (or watching) TV, movies, and sports, she’s also keeping up on the underrated perfume dupes at Bath & Body Works and testing headphones. Prior to joining Decider and The New York Post in 2023, she wrote about streaming and consumer tech at Insider Reviews.
