The Thunder swept the four-game regular-season series against the Lakers by an average of 29.3 points.

The Lakers have an uphill battle ahead of them, to state the obvious.

Heading into the Lakers’ second-round playoff series against the Thunder, here are three key matchups to keep your eyes on:

The Thunder’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is the reigning NBA MVP. NBAE via Getty Images

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander vs. Marcus Smart

Gilgeous-Alexander is the reigning MVP. He’s likely to repeat for that honor when the winner is announced later this month. There’s no stopping him. He’s like a metronome. He’s guaranteed to score about 30 points a game.

Smart has an impossible task: trying to slow down Gilgeous-Alexander.

The good thing for the Lakers is that Smart is a former Defensive Player of the Year in 2022.…