Winners, losers from NBA playoffs: Thunder send Lakers home

That didn't continue in the second half, where Mitchell went off and the Cavs — and his own teammates — denied LeVert the ball.

Jared McCain and Alex Caruso , Oklahoma City Thunder

One day after his old team got swept out of the second round, OKC's Jared McCain scored 13 points and logged a staggering plus/minus of +27 in just 16 minutes of the Thunder's 115-110 win. McCain hit three three-pointers on a night where his Thunder teammates weren't making shots from distance.

That is, except for former Laker Alex Caruso, who shot 3-for-5 from deep, finishing with nine points and two steals. The Lakers tried to lowball Caruso when he was a free agent in 2021, and since then, he's made two All-Defensive teams, won a second ring with the Thunder and could earn a third this season.

Throwback uniforms, Cleveland Cavaliers

The Cavs have worn their blue throwback jerseys in four playoff games. They're 4-0 in the blue duds, 2-5 in every other outfit. We're not saying the blue jerseys have some kind of magic powers, but should the Cavaliers really be gambling that they don't by wearing other alternate uniforms?

Losers

Isaiah Stewart, Detroit Pistons

During the season, Isaiah Stewart was one of the NBA's best backup bigs, finishing seventh in the Sixth Man of the Year voting. In the playoffs, he's been far from it, averaging only 4.1 points and 2.8 rebounds and committing 7.6 fouls per 36 minutes. In a Game 4 where the Pistons desperately needed rim protection, "Beef Stew" couldn't stay on the court.

Deandre Ayton, Los Angeles Lakers

Ayton received a buyout from the Portland Trail Blazers before this season and signed with the Lakers on a two-year, $16.2M deal with a player option for 2026-27. The idea was for Ayton to rebuild his value and test the free-agent market again, but after averaging 7.3 points in the Thunder series, will he have any suitors? The Lakers and Ayton may be stuck with each other for another season.

ESPN

The Thunder's sweep means that ESPN will miss the ratings bonanza of a Lakers playoff Game 5, plus an excuse to debate the legacy of LeBron James for two more days on their various debate shows. ESPN may need to rush an emergency Austin Reaves documentary into production just to preserve their ratings for May sweeps.