Tip-Off: 8:30 PM CT

Location: Chesapeake Energy Arena (Oklahoma City, Oklahoma)

Television: TNT

Radio: WWLS 98.1FM OKC The Sports Animal

Twitter: Follow @TheThunderGuys for live-tweets during the game

The Oklahoma City Thunder suffered an embarrassing 142-126 loss on the road to the Atlanta Hawks on Tuesday night, and now they have lost 4 of their last 6. The Thunder desperately needs to get back to their defensive roots and start playing more disciplined basketball.

Tonight the Thunder hosts the Los Angeles Lakers, who have struggled as of late as well, primarily due to the lack of Lebron James in the lineup. James is still out with a groin injury, so the Thunder is considered a heavy favorite in front of the home crowd tonight.

The two teams played two weeks ago, and the Thunder was able to squeak out the win despite a poor display of basketball, so hopefully they can shift things into a higher gear and play at the level that they are capable of playing instead of playing down to their opponent.

Projected Starters

Thunder

• PG: Russell Westbrook
• SG: Terrance Ferguson
• SF: Paul George
• PF: Jerami Grant
• C: Steven Adams

Lakers

• PG: Lonzo Ball
• SG: Kentavious Caldwell-Pope
• SF: Kyle Kuzma
• PF: Brandon Ingram
• C: Tyson Chandler

Injuries

Thunder

• Alex Abrines (personal) is OUT.
• Andre Roberson (left patellar tendon) is OUT.

Lakers

• Lebron James (groin injury) is OUT.
• Rajon Rondo (broken right hand) is OUT.

Head-to-Head

• Since arriving in Oklahoma City in 2008, the Thunder is 22-14 against the Lakers (12-5 at home, 10-9 on the road).
• Since arriving in Oklahoma City in 2008, the Thunder has won the season series against the Lakers 6 times, lost 3 times, and tied once.
• The Thunder split the season series against the Lakers 2-2 last season.
• The Thunder is 1-0 against the Lakers so far this season (0-0 at home, 1-0 on the road).
• After losing 8 of the first 9 matchups with the Lakers dating back to the 2008-09 season, the Thunder has won 21 of the last 27 matchups overall including 11 of the last 12 at Chesapeake Energy Arena.

Game Notes

• The Thunder most recently lost to the Hawks 142-126 in Atlanta on Tuesday while the Lakers most recently defeated the Chicago Bulls 107-100 on Tuesday.
• The Thunder is 5-5 in the last 10 games, and the Lakers are 4-6 in their last 10 games.
• Oklahoma City is 14-6 at home while the Lakers are 9-12 on the road.
• Oklahoma City is 16-13 against the Western Conference while Los Angeles is 16-14.
• The Thunder is 14-11 after one day of rest while the Lakers are 11-14 after one day of rest.
• The Thunder is 2-2 on Thursdays while the Lakers are 2-3.
• The Thunder is 3-4 in January while the Lakers are 3-5.
• Oklahoma City Thunder Official Game Notes
• Los Angeles Lakers Official Game Notes

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