The Los Angeles Lakers’ season ended in the coldest way possible on Monday night, with a 115-110 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder that completed a devastating four-game sweep. For head coach JJ Redick, the finality of the moment hit hard as he stood at the podium in a silent Crypto.com Arena.
“I think when the season ends, there's always a whirlwind of emotions,” an emotional Redick told reporters. “Certainly a feeling of sense of gratitude for our players, the Lakers, and our fanbase.”
JJ Redick after getting swept:
"I think when the season ends there's always I would say a whirlwind of emotions. Certainly a feeling of sense of gratitude for our players, the Lakers, our fanbase" pic.twitter.com/7ignTOI4tG
— Oh No He Didn't (@ohnohedidnt24) May 12, 2026
That gratitude might be one-sided for now. Lakers fans spent the evening torching Redick on social media for his late-game management.
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L.A. actually entered the fourth quarter with an 84-80 lead and all the momentum, largely thanks to an inspired, hyper-efficient performance from Jaxson Hayes. The big man was a force off the bench, putting up 18 points and five rebounds while shooting a perfect 6-of-6 from the free-throw line.
However, the wheels fell off in the final 12 minutes. The top-seeded Thunder outscored the Lakers 35-26 in the fourth, powered by their lethal backcourt. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was clinical, dropping a game-high 35 points and eight assists. Rookie sensation Ajay Mitchell also feasted on the Lakers' defensive lapses, pouring in a playoff career-high 28 points along with four steals.
Austin Reaves did his best to keep the season alive with 27 points, and Rui Hachimura added 25 of his own. Even LeBron James emptied the tank with 24 points and 12 rebounds in what could potentially be his final game in the purple and gold. But 19 team turnovers and a lack of late-game execution proved fatal. Chet Holmgren officially iced the game with a thunderous dunk with just 32.8 seconds remaining.
Now, the Lakers head into an offseason defined by “what ifs.” While Redick focused on the gratitude, the front office faces a mountain of pressure to figure out why a roster with this much talent couldn't take a single game off the Thunder.a
The Los Angeles Lakers’ season ended in the coldest way possible on Monday night, with a 115-110 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder that completed a devastating four-game sweep. For head coach JJ Redick, the finality of the moment hit hard as he stood at the podium in a silent Crypto. com Arena.