Thunder escape late Lakers charge to complete sweep - ESPN

LOS ANGELES — An astute bit of analysis from Los Angeles Lakers star guard Austin Reaves best summed up the Oklahoma City Thunder after the defending champions swept their second consecutive playoff series.

«They're really f---ing good,» Reaves said after the Thunder's 115-110 comeback win in Monday's Game 4 eliminated the Lakers.

According to ESPN Research, the Thunder became the fourth defending champion to begin the playoffs with at least eight consecutive wins, and the first since LeBron James' Cleveland Cavaliers in 2017. Oklahoma City has gone 8-0 with an average margin of victory of 16.6 points, the fifth largest entering the conference finals since the playoffs expanded to the current 16-team format in 1983-84.

«We've done our job so far. That's all it really means,» said Thunder superstar Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who scored a series-high 35 points in Game 4. «We've gone out there, we've executed, we played at a high level, and we've been able to win eight top games against really good opponents. That's all it really means.

»Nothing's guaranteed. In the playoffs, no two games are the same, especially when you change opponents. The challenges are all coming up, I guess you could say. Everything that we've done so far is behind us. We still haven't reached our goal."

The Thunder hadn't trailed in the fourth quarter during this postseason until Monday, when the Lakers led by as many as five points. That was the margin when Gilgeous-Alexander checked back in with 8:37 remaining, more than two minutes ahead of his regular rotation, with the goal of getting extra rest by closing out the series.

Gilgeous-Alexander scored nine of his 35 points in the final quarter. Guard Ajay Mitchell, who starred in this series while