Tip-Off: 9:30 PM CT
Location: Staples Center (Los Angeles, CA)
Television: ESPN, FSOK
Radio: WWLS 98.1FM OKC The Sports Animal
Twitter: Follow @TheThunderGuys for live-tweets during the game
The Oklahoma City Thunder are coming off of a strong December where they racked up a 12-5 record, which ranked third in the NBA. The Thunder lost their last two games of 2017, but even then, they seem to have turned a corner and are looking forward to a potentially successful January.
The Los Angeles Lakers, however, have been quite the opposite lately. In December, the Lakers went 3-11, which was second-worst in the league. The Lakers also hold the league’s second-worst home record, while the Thunder has steadily improved their road record. The injury-riddled Lakers should not be much of a challenge for the rapidly-improved Thunder, but Oklahoma City cannot afford to overlook any team right now.
Projected Starters
Thunder
- PG: Russell Westbrook
- SG: Josh Huestis
- SF: Paul George
- PF: Carmelo Anthony
- C: Steven Adams
Lakers
- PG: Tyler Ennis
- SG: Josh Hart
- SF: Kyle Kuzma
- PF: Brandon Ingram
- C: Julius Randle
Injuries
Thunder
- Andre Roberson (left patellar tendonitis) is OUT.
Lakers
- Lonzo Ball (left shoulder sprain) is OUT.
- Kyle Kuzma (left quad contusion) is active.
- Brook Lopez (right ankle sprain) is active.
Head-to-Head
- Since arriving in Oklahoma City in 2008, the Thunder is 19-12 against the Lakers (11-4 at home, 8-8 on the road).
- Since arriving in Oklahoma City in 2008, the Thunder has won the season series against the Lakers six times and lost three times.
- The Thunder won two of the three games against Lakers in last season’s series.
- The Thunder has won 10 of the last 11 matchups with the Lakers.
- Andre Roberson scored a career-high 19 points last season against the Lakers on February 24, 2017, in Oklahoma City.
Game Notes
- Oklahoma City has lost two in a row, while Los Angeles has lost seven in a row.
- Oklahoma City is 7-3 in the last 10 games, while Los Angeles is 1-9.
- Oklahoma City is 6-11 on the road, while Los Angeles is 6-12 at home.
- Oklahoma City is 11-10 against the Western Conference, while Los Angeles is 5-18.
- Oklahoma City is 3-2 in games where there are two days of rest, while Los Angeles is 6-13 in games where there is one day of rest.
Be sure to check out our latest episode of Thunder Things with the Thunder Guys.
Article written by Zack Low. Follow @TheThunderGuys on Twitter & Instagram, and like us on Facebook.