Champion Thunder hold off tenacious Lakers 115-110 in Game 4 for another playoff series sweep

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 35 points, Chet Holmgren made a tiebreaking dunk with 32.8 seconds to play, and the Oklahoma City Thunder swept the Los Angeles Lakers out of the second round of the NBA playoffs with a 115-110 victory in Game 4 on Monday night.

Ajay Mitchell scored 10 of his 28 points in the frantic final period as the Thunder overcame the Lakers' tenacious effort and improved to 8-0 in the playoffs with their toughest victory of the postseason.

“We've done our job so far, that's all it really means,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “We've gone out there, we've executed, we've played at a high level and we've been able to win eight tough games against really good opponents. That's all it means. Nothing is guaranteed.”

LeBron James had 24 points and 14 rebounds in the final game of the unprecedented 23rd season for the top scorer in NBA history, but he missed a driving bank shot with 20 seconds left that would have put the Lakers ahead.

The 41-year-old James has repeatedly said he hasn’t decided whether to play next season, so there was no ceremony or momentousness around this game. Instead, the Lakers desperately tried to extend their year, only to lose to Oklahoma City for the eighth time this season.

“I don't know what the future holds for me, obviously, as it stands right now, tonight,” James said. “I've got a lot of time. I'll go back and recalibrate with my family and talk with them, and when the time goes, obviously you guys will know what I decide to do.”

Austin Reaves scored 27 points before missing a tying 3-point attempt with eight seconds left for the Lakers, who advanced one round farther than almost anybody expected after losing NBA scoring champion Luka Doncic and Reaves to significant injuries a month ago.

Los Angeles still lost six of its final seven playoff games and fell well short of the conference finals for the third straight season.

“I didn't want our season to end,” Lakers coach JJ Redick said. “I wanted to keep this thing going. I enjoyed every bit of this year.”

Oklahoma City faced its first fourth-quarter deficits of the entire playoffs in Game 4 as the Lakers repeatedly refused to fold. The Thunder still got it done, and they've earned at least the rest of the week off before they open the conference finals against the winner of San Antonio’s second-round series with Minnesota. The Spurs and Timberwolves are even heading to Game 5 on Tuesday night.

“They won more of the minutes tonight than we did, and that hadn’t been the case (earlier in the series),” Oklahoma City coach Mark Daigneault said. “They outplayed us for stretches. They’re a really good team with prideful players. We did not expect them to give us an unearned win, and we went out and earned it.”

Oklahoma City went 8-0 against the Lakers this season, winning all four regular-season matchups as well — but this one was the toughest. The Lakers took the lead and kept it close down the stretch with big buckets from Reaves and Rui Hachimura, who scored nine of his 25 points in the fourth quarter.

Holmgren’s dunk with 2:03 left put the Thunder up 109-103, but Hachimura coolly converted a four-point play. Marcus Smart then drove the lane and hit a layup while being fouled in the final minute, converting a three-point play for a 110-109 Lakers lead.

But Holmgren got the ball inside and triple-pumped for a dunk with 32.8 seconds left, and James missed on his drive. After Gilgeous-Alexander hit two free throws, Reaves missed again, and the Thunder hung on to secure their sixth berth in the Western Conference finals in the last 16 seasons.

The Thunder won the first two games of the series at home by 18 points apiece, and they routed the Lakers 131-108 in Game 3.

Doncic missed the final 15 games of the Lakers’ season after incurring a grade 2 hamstring strain on April 2 in Oklahoma City, and he watched the season finale on the bench in a black sweatsuit. The Slovenian superstar apparently didn’t get close to returning from the injury, which often requires two months of recovery.

AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA

Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James, left, grabs a rebound away from Oklahoma City Thunder center Isaiah Hartenstein during the first half of Game 4 in a second-round NBA basketball playoffs series Monday, May 11, 2026, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Oklahoma City Thunder guard Alex Caruso, celebrates after scoring as Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James stands behind during the first half of Game 4 in a second-round NBA basketball playoffs series Monday, May 11, 2026, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James, right, gestures after scoring as Oklahoma City Thunder guard Alex Caruso runs by during the first half of Game 4 in a second-round NBA basketball playoffs series Monday, May 11, 2026, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Los Angeles Lakers guard Marcus Smart, left, shoots as Oklahoma City Thunder center Chet Holmgren defends during the first half of Game 4 in a second-round NBA basketball playoffs series Monday, May 11, 2026, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, right, takes a pass while under pressure from Los Angeles Lakers forward Rui Hachimura during the first half of Game 4 in a second-round NBA basketball playoffs series Monday, May 11, 2026, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

AMSTERDAM--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 12, 2026--

Better forecasting leads to better production and above all, less waste. This is the outcome of the transformation journey undertaken by Perfetti Van Melle Italia, a leading international group specialized in the production and distribution of confectionery and chewing gum, together with BearingPoint, a leading independent management and technology consultancy. The collaboration enabled a structural redesign of the Group’s financial planning processes, with clear benefits in terms of efficiency and business sustainability.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260511615096/en/

Over the past two and a half years, the project has progressively improved sales forecast accuracy, reducing error margins from 3.6% in 2023 to 1.0% in 2024, down to 0.3% in 2025. This achievement has had a direct impact on business: greater forecasting precision contributed to a 63.5% reduction in write-offs of finished products and raw materials. In practical terms, this means fewer products sitting in warehouses, lower excess stock and more efficient use of financial resources, with a positive impact on sustainability thanks to reduced waste across the entire value chain.

The project covered the entire planning process, from monthly forecasts to mid and long-term planning, involving primarily the Finance and Marketing functions. At the core of the new approach is the evolution of the Anaplan planning platform, used as a shared environment to integrate data, simulations and decision-making scenarios. This made it possible to overcome fragmented information and provide management with consistent and reliable data to support decision-making.

In addition, the new model has significantly improved operational efficiency: time spent on planning activities has been reduced by around 40% freeing up resources that can now focus on higher value-added tasks such as data analysis and strategic decision support.

“With BearingPoint, we have built much more than a solution, developing over time a truly strategic and evolutionary partnership based on continuity, proactiveness, and constant innovation, in synergy with the Anaplan platform. The availability and continuity of the BearingPoint team, strengthened by their growing understanding of our business, enable us to find fast and timely solutions to every issue, ensuring long-term reliability and compliance with our standards. The team has grown together with us, and alongside this growth the Anaplan solution has also improved. Our intention is to continue together along this path of growth and continuous improvement,” said Daniela Loperfido, Head of Commercial Controlling at Perfetti Van Melle.

“Working on financial planning means directly impacting both the quality of decision-making and the sustainability of the business,” said Gianluca Sacchi, Consumer Goods & Retail Lead at BearingPoint Italia. “This project is the result of a journey built together with Perfetti Van Melle, based on continuous collaboration and growing mutual trust. We worked together to develop a solid and scalable model capable of generating long-term value by integrating technology and processes, overcoming fragmented data management and creating a single, reliable source of information.”

The value of the initiative goes beyond the Italian market: the approach developed has demonstrated strong scalability and has already been extended at a regional level, with similar initiatives launched in Switzerland, becoming a benchmark for the evolution of the Group’s financial planning processes globally.

This project demonstrates how BearingPoint’s integrated approach, supported by reliable data, robust technologies and structured processes, can transform planning from an operational activity into a strategic lever, enabling more efficient, sustainable and long-term growth.

About Perfetti Van Melle

Perfetti Van Melle is a major global producer and marketer of confectionery and chewing gum, with operations spanning over 150 countries. The company’s well-known brands, such as Mentos, Chupa Chups, Alpenliebe, and Fruittella, are enjoyed by people around the world. Established in 2001 from the acquisition of the Dutch Van Melle by the Italian Perfetti Group, it has become a prominent innovator in the confectionery sector.

About BearingPoint

BearingPoint is an independent management and technology consultancy with European roots and a global reach. We help businesses transform by combining deep industry expertise with strong capabilities in strategy, operations, and technology. Dedicated SAP and Microsoft transformation units, a strong focus on AI, and outcome-based products enable us to provide tailored, innovative solutions that create measurable and sustainable value.

In addition to our core consulting operations, we run two joint ventures. Arcwide, our joint venture with IFS, specializes in business transformation enabled by IFS technology. BearingPoint North America, our joint venture with ABeam Consulting, focuses on consulting excellence and business transformation built on SAP.

BearingPoint works with many of the world’s leading companies and public-sector organizations. Together with its strategic alliance partner ABeam Consulting, the firm brings together more than 15,000 professionals and serves clients in over 70 countries, delivering seamless business transformation, strengthening performance, and driving sustainable impact.

BearingPoint is recognized among TIME World’s Best Companies and Forbes World’s Best Employers. The firm is also a certified B Corporation, committed to responsible business and creating long-term value for organizations, people, and society.

For more information, please visit:
Homepage: www.bearingpoint.com
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/bearingpoint

The collaboration between BearingPoint and Perfetti Van Melle improved sales forecast accuracy, reducing error margins from 3.6% to 0.3% over the past three years, and cut planning time by 40%, delivering benefits in both efficiency and sustainability.