By OGNSC Sports Staff
The 2025–26 Los Angeles Lakers season had all the hallmarks of a serious championship contender — a 53-win regular season, a second consecutive Pacific Division title, and a first-round playoff win. But when the lights got brightest, the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder reminded the basketball world that there is still a wide gap between where this Lakers team is and where it wants to be.
A Strong Regular Season
Los Angeles put together one of its most consistent regular seasons in years, finishing 53–29 — an improvement over last year’s 50–32 record — and earning home-court advantage in the first round for the second straight year. It marked the first time the franchise had won 50 or more games in back-to-back seasons since the Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol era of 2009–10 and 2010–11.
The team’s core — LeBron James, Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves, Rui Hachimura, and veteran point guard Marcus Smart — gave head coach JJ Redick one of the deepest rosters he’s worked with. Their defense ranked among the league’s elite, and Reaves emerged as one of the more reliable two-way guards in the Western Conference.
The Injury That Changed Everything
The season’s trajectory shifted on April 2, when Doncic — who had transformed the Lakers offense since arriving via trade — suffered a left hamstring strain against Oklahoma City. He would not play another game the rest of the regular season, and his status for the playoffs remained uncertain throughout.
Still, the Lakers closed the regular season on a high note, finishing 4th in the West and heading into the postseason with momentum — and cautious optimism about Doncic’s return.
First Round: Getting Past Houston
In a rematch of the 2020 NBA Playoffs — when the Lakers dispatched Houston in five games en route to their 17th championship — Los Angeles took care of the Rockets in six games. It wasn’t always pretty. The Lakers were held under 100 points in three of the six games, and Houston’s Alperen Sengun gave the frontcourt serious problems throughout.
But LeBron James — at 41 years old — was the story of the series. In the Lakers’ four victories, he averaged 26.0 points, 9.0 rebounds, and 8.5 assists, shooting an impressive 42.9 percent from three-point range. In the series-clinching Game 6, he put up 28 points, eight assists, and seven rebounds, reminding the league that Father Time has had a harder time with him than with anyone in NBA history.
Second Round: A Sweep at the Hands of OKC
Without Doncic and facing the No. 1-ranked defense in the league, the Lakers had no answers for the Oklahoma City Thunder. OKC swept Los Angeles in four games, with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Chet Holmgren, and an emerging Ajay Mitchell proving to be simply too much.
In the final game, Holmgren made a go-ahead dunk with 32.5 seconds left to seal the series. LeBron finished with 24 points and 12 rebounds, and Austin Reaves — still rounding into form after his oblique injury — scored 27, but missed a potential game-tying three in the closing seconds.
The Lakers were outscored in the fourth quarter in three of the four losses, a recurring issue that speaks to the team’s need for a reliable playmaker alongside LeBron once Doncic was unavailable.
What’s Next
The big question hanging over L.A. now is LeBron’s future. The King has not announced whether he will return for a 24th NBA season, and speculation about his retirement has reached a fever pitch. Doncic, when healthy, gives this team a genuine co-star capable of carrying a playoff series. And with Reaves, Hachimura, and Smart still under contract, the foundation is there for another deep run.
For Lakers fans, the 2025–26 season was a reminder of both how far this franchise has come — and how much further it still needs to go.