Mitchell, Gilgeous-Alexander Shine as OKC Thunder Complete Sweep of Lakers

1. Rumbling Off Turnovers

The Thunder dominated the Lakers in the points off turnovers category this series. The trend remained the same in the close-out game.

OKC forced 19 Los Angeles turnovers and scored 22 points off of them in the win. This was critical in the Thunder staying in a Lakers-controlled third quarter, racking off 10 points off five turnovers in the period, starting it with a run that involved three fastbreak layups following steals.

The Thunder's defense lives off forcing turnovers, filled with wings and guards who know how to get into the lanes and cause commotion. This constant pressure is why Oklahoma City is still unbeaten through the first two rounds.

2. Masterful Mitchell

Once again, the Thunder's second-year star was phenomenal under the spotlight. Mitchell scored 28 points on 12-of-19 shooting.

The Belgian guard added three rebounds, four assists and four steals to his box score, completing a high-leverage, three-level scoring performance. Mitchell continued his breakout season with his fourth 20-point game in five.

Mitchell hit the final two free throws to seal a clutch time win for the Thunder.

He was excellent on and off the ball, continuing to bring OKC the spark it needs with Jalen Williams sidelined. Any time Gilgeous-Alexander received a double team, Mitchell responded with timely buckets and ball handling.

3. Valuable High-leverage Playoff Action

In a series and playoffs of double-digit wins, a clutch-time game to close out the series is perfect for the Thunder before their Western Conference Finals matchup. The Lakers gave the defending champions every last bit of their energy, but it was not enough.

Gilgeous-Alexander consistently made the right play throughout the fourth quarter, playing off his costars in Mitchell and Holmgren. Holmgren's lead-taking dunk in the game's final minute turned out to be the series clincher.

The MVP favorite scored nine of his series-high 35 points in the fourth quarter, sealing the game with free throws in the final moments. Mitchell scored 10 in the final period, continuing his postseason of incredible play. Holmgren scored half of his point total, eight of 16, in the fourth quarter.

The Thunder's key players stood to the task in the clutch minutes, setting them up to continue success in the next round.