Tip-Off: 7 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 continued the late-season slump as they lost to the Dallas Mavericks Sunday afternoon. The loss puts the Thunder at 7-13 since the All-Star Break, and with only 5 games left in the season, the eight-seed in the Western Conference playoffs is looking more and more like reality.
Tonight, the Thunder hosts the Lebronless Los Angeles Lakers, and simply put, OKC cannot afford another loss, regardless of what it does for the Thunder in the standings. The losses have been piling up for a while now, and OKC fans are at their wit’s end. The Lakers barely have a roster to play with due to a number of injuries and shutting guys down for the season, so the Thunder needs to take advantage and pick up a blowout win to maybe flip the momentum switch.
Projected Starters
Thunder
- PG: Russell Westbrook
- SG: Terrance Ferguson
- SF: Paul George
- PF: Jerami Grant
- C: Steven Adams
Lakers
- PG: Rajon Rondo
- SG: Kentavious Caldwell-Pope
- SF: Lance Stephenson
- PF: Moritz Wagner
- C: JaVale McGee
Injuries
Thunder
- Paul George (left shoulder soreness) is QUESTIONABLE.
- Andre Roberson (left patellar tendon) is OUT.
Lakers
- Lonzo Ball (left ankle sprain) is OUT.
- Reggie Bullock (right plantar fasciitis) is PROBABLE.
- Tyson Chandler (flu) is OUT.
- Josh Hart (right knee debridement procedure) is OUT.
- Brandon Ingram (thoracic outlet decompression surgery, right arm) is OUT.
- Lebron James (sore left groin) is OUT.
- Kyle Kuzma (left foot peroneal tendinitis) is QUESTIONABLE.
Head-to-Head
- Since arriving in Oklahoma City in 2008, the Thunder is 22-15 against the Lakers (12-6 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 1-1 against the Lakers so far this season (0-1 at home, 1-0 on the road).
- After losing 8 of the first 9 matchups with the Lakers starting in the innaugural 2008-09 season, the Thunder has won 21 of the last 28 matchups overall including 11 of the last 13 at Chesapeake Energy Arena.
Game Notes
- The Thunder has lost two consecutive games while the Lakers most recently defeated the New Orleans Pelicans 130-102.
- The Thunder is 3-7 in the last 10 games while the Lakers are 4-6 in the last 10.
- Oklahoma City is 24-14 at home while the Lakers are 14-25 on the road.
- Oklahoma City is 25-24 against the Western Conference while Los Angeles is 23-24 against the Western Conference.
- The Thunder is 26-21 after one day of rest while the Lakers are 19-27 after one day of rest.
- The Thunder is 4-6 (3-1 at home, 1-5 on the road) on Tuesdays this season while the Lakers are 4-6 (2-1 at home, 2-5 on the road).
- The Thunder is 7-13 (4-7 at home, 3-6 on the road) since the All-Star Break while the Lakers are 6-13 (5-5 at home, 1-8 on the road).
- Oklahoma City Thunder Official Game Notes
- Los Angeles Lakers Official Game Notes
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