What’s up with the Oklahoma City Thunder?
The Oklahoma City Thunder are currently in eighth seed because of how well their young core is playing in the last stretch of the regular season.
Right off the bat, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is averaging All-Star numbers with 31.4 points and 5.5 assists every night. Josh Giddey is definitely reaching expectations with averages of 16.1 points and 6.1 assists. Luguentz Dort and Jalen Williams may not be putting up numbers as high as the first two but they’re doing all the dirty work on the floor by grabbing the needed rebounds and taking the open shots.
The Thunder’s future is brighter than ever with their talent-laden roster and intense efforts on the defensive end. If they are able to activate their strengths against their bigger matchups like the Lakers, they can continue their rise in the standings.
What’s up with the Los Angeles Lakers?
After the Lakers suffered a buzzer-beater loss to the Dallas Mavericks, they have now righted the ship with two straight big wins against Orlando Magic and the Phoenix Suns.
Despite taking the upper hand from Devin Booker and his squad, the loss against the Mavericks still left a bad taste in the mouths of Lakers fans as Dallas is one of the purple and gold’s oppositions for a play-in tournament spot.
Their star player LeBron James is out due to a foot injury and will remain sidelined with no tentative return date. However, Anthony Davis, D’Angelo Russell, and Austin Reaves are keeping the team competitive even without the King as they pose major threats in the post and in the shooting department.
Of course, LeBron’s output is still missed but with the rate at which the Lakers are going, they may indeed eventually secure the remaining postseason positions in the very close Western Conference.
Prediction
This upcoming matchup is a crucial one for both teams, but Los Angeles has a couple of clear advantages in the contest. The Lakers are coming off a huge victory and apprently finding the chemistry on the court even despite the absence of their best player. OKC has a shot against them though but they are faced with the challenge of containing the streaking trio of Davis, D’Lo, and Reaves.
Where to watch
You can catch the Thunder and Lakers in action live tomorrow at 10:30 AM on NBA League Pass.
