Tip-Off: 5:30 PM CT
Location: HP Field House (Orlando, Florida)
Television: ESPN, Fox Sports Oklahoma
Radio: WWLS 98.1FM OKC The Sports Animal
Twitter: Follow @TheThunderGuys for live-tweets during the game
The Oklahoma City Thunder (41-25) stumbled into overtime on Monday afternoon against the Denver Nuggets (44-23) before eventually dropping a 121-113 decision. Now, they take on the Western Conference’s top seed in the Los Angeles Lakers (51-15).
The Lakers clinched the 1-seed for the playoffs with a win over the Utah Jazz (42-24) on Monday evening. While they can essentially relax until the playoffs begin, LA is not just going to roll over and take a bunch of losses. OKC, on the other hand, is still jockeying for playoff position, and a win against the Lakers would go a long way.
So far this season the Thunder has dropped all 3 matchups when facing the Lakers, and with a tandem of Lebron James and Anthony Davis, it’s no wonder that LA holds the second-best record in the entire league. Both players have consistently had success against the Thunder franchise over the years, so perhaps the key to victory is found elsewhere for OKC.
The Thunder arguably has one of the better second units in the NBA, but with Dennis Schröder having left the bubble to be with his wife, who is expecting their second child, OKC’s bench experienced a bit of a drop off. If the backups are capable of stepping up to the challenge, the Thunder may just have a good shot at picking up an unexpected win.
Projected Starters
Thunder
- PG: Chris Paul
- SG: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
- SF: Luguentz Dort
- PF: Danilo Gallinari
- C: Steven Adams
Lakers
- PG: Kentavious Caldwell-Pope
- SG: Danny Green
- SF: Lebron James
- PF: Anthony Davis
- C: Javale McGee
Injuries
Thunder
- Terrance Ferguson (lower right leg contusion) is OUT.
- Mike Muscala (concussion protocol) is OUT.
- Dennis Schröder (with family) is OUT.
Lakers
- Anthony Davis (sore right eye) is PROBABLE.
- Lebron James (sore right groin) is PROBABLE.
- Rajon Rondo (right thumb surgery) is OUT.
Head-to-Head
- Since arriving in Oklahoma City in 2008, the Thunder is 23-18 against the Lakers (13-8 at home, 10-10 on the road).
- Since arriving in Oklahoma City in 2008, the Thunder has won the season series against the Lakers 7 times, lost 3 times, and tied once.
- The Thunder is 0-3 (0-2 at home, 0-1 on the road) against the Lakers so far this season.
Game Notes
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