Lakers Continue Late-Season Gauntlet vs OKC

The Lakers travel to Oklahoma City to take on the Thunder in a two-game mini series between two Western Conference contenders. Last time out, the Lakers beat the Pelicans and will be hoping to get a statement win against the league’s best team this regular season.

Time to Make a Statement

The Lakers go into this afternoon’s game facing a big task. Led by MVP candidate Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the Thunder sit at 64-13 on the season. Tonight will be a real test for the Lakers, and a chance to see how they matchup against the West’s best. They haven’t faced the Thunder since the acquisition of Luka Dončić, so these games will tell us a lot about how the Lakers stack up against elite competition going into the playoffs.

Keys to Success

The Laker defense will have to be at its best to try and contain SGA tonight. He gets to the line so much that the Lakers can’t afford to get into foul trouble as they have limited defensive matchups for the star Thunder guard. In the front court LA will have to lean on Jaxson Hayes to try and contain Chet Holmgren. In previous matchups against OKC, the Lakers had Anthony Davis and the front court was viewed as an area of advantage for the Lakers. Now with Luka the Lakers matchup completely differently, so how both teams figure out the new environment will be something to watch closely.