The Oklahoma City Thunder swept the Los Angeles Lakers out of the NBA playoffs on Monday, winning 115-110 to wrap up a 4-0 series victory in what could turn out to be the final game of LeBron James' career.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 35 points as the defending champion Thunder advanced to the Western Conference finals after sealing their second sweep of the postseason following a 4-0 first-round defeat of Phoenix.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Lakers star James, 41, is out of contract after this season and has not yet indicated whether he plans to return for a 24th campaign next term.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Oklahoma City will face either the San Antonio Spurs or Minnesota Timberwolves for a place in the NBA finals.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
The Spurs and Timberwolves are tied at 2-2 in their best-of-seven semi-final series.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Monday's defeat marked the end of Lakers icon James' latest bid for a fifth NBA championship, sealing a disappointing end to his record 23rd season.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
A star-studded Hollywood crowd including Leonardo DiCaprio, Sean Penn and Eddie Murphy flocked to courtside at the Crypto.com Arena to see if James could help the Lakers stave off elimination.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
But James' 24 points and 12 rebounds were in vain as the Thunder kept their nerve to hold off a spirited second-half fightback by the Lakers.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
All eyes are now on James to see whether the four-time NBA Most Valuable Player and 22-time NBA All-Star will decide whether to prolong his glittering career.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
James, who joined the Lakers in 2018 from Cleveland, will enter the offseason as an unrestricted free agent and can listen to offers if he decides to keep playing.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Speculation has swirled over what James -- who has repeatedly said he wants to play on a team capable of challenging for championships -- will decide to do.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Some reports have indicated he is ready to extend with the Lakers, while others have suggested that he may consider heading elsewhere or decide to retire from the sport altogether.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
The Lakers had looked in position to mount a serious title run during the final weeks of the regular season, going 15-2 in March after a string of superb performances from Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves and James.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
However, a long-term injury in early April suffered by Doncic -- who has not played at all during the postseason -- and an injury to Reaves left the Lakers short on firepower for much of the playoffs.<\/p>\r\n\r\n