- Oklahoma City Thunder (27-11, 2nd in the West) @ Los Angeles Lakers (19-21, 11th in the West)
- When: Monday, 15 January 2024 at 9:30pm CST
- Where: Crypto.com Arena, Los Angeles, CA
- Offensive Rating – LAL: 112.2 (24th) / OKC: 120.2 (4th)
- Defensive Rating – LAL: 114.0 (14th) / OKC: 111.0 (3rd)
- Net Rating – LAL: -1.8 (21st) / OKC: 9.2 (2nd)
The Set-Up
Listen, I’m still reeling from Saturday. The love you guys showed us on Saturday was amazing. Getting to meet many of you guys at The Parlor and then hanging out at the game was a frickin’ movie. Thank you for the motivation to continue showing up and putting together this page and this podcast. We could not do it without you guys. Here’s to many more years of love and success. Now, before I get too sappy, there is a game tonight.
This is the third of four meetings this season between these two games. The Thunder won the first meeting, 133-110, back on November 30th. The Lakers returned the favor on December 23rd, winning in OKC, 129-120. Their final game of the season is on March 4th, 2024.
Betting Info
- Line: OKC -3.5
- O/U: 237.5
Injury Report
OKC
- Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (knee) – Questionable
LAL
- Anthony Davis (ankle) – Questionable
- LeBron James (ankle) – Probable
- Cam Reddish (knee) – OUT
- D’Angelo Russell (illness) – Questionable
- Gabe Vincent (knee) – OUT
Three Big Things
- SGA – When the day first started, the Lakes were favored. But as the day progressed, the line shifted towards favoring the Thunder. Which likely means, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander will be available to play tonight. If he is, watch out, because SGA loves to play under the bright lights in LA.
- Physicality – One of the biggest issues the Thunder face when battling the Lakers, is their size up front. Anthony Davis, LeBron James, Jarred Vanderbilt, Rui Hachimura, Jaxson Hayes, and Christian Woods are just large individuals. And when they play against the Thunder, who start a “still thin” Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams, they do struggle, at times, to match the size and strength of other teams. Expect Jaylin Williams and Kenrich Williams to play some minutes in this game.
- Defending Without Fouling – The Lakers attempt the 7th most amount of free throws in the league at 24.4 attempts per game. The Thunder, on the other hand, foul the 10th most in the league. Players like James and Davis are foul-magnets and the Thunder have a tendency to be hyper-aggressive defensively, which can lead to dumb fouls and an unbalanced free throw count between the two teams. The Thunder have to play their game defensively, but play it intelligently.