The Oklahoma City Thunder is 7-1 in their last eight games.
With only a slip-up in San Antonio against the Spurs, the team has been incredibly hot which began before the All-Star break, but has bled into the backend of the regular season schedule.
Now, the Thunder takes on the Los Angeles Lakers on the road just a day after defeating the Phoenix Suns in a rollercoaster of a game.
The Thunder is in sole possession of the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference, though they’ve got just a half-a-game lead over the Minnesota Timberwolves and Denver Nuggets.
On the other hand, the Lakers are the No. 10 seed in the Western Conference and barely in the play-in scene.
INJURY REPORT
Thunder: Ousmane Dieng, OUT (G League) Adam Flagler, OUT (G League) Keyontae Johnson, OUT (G League) Jaylin Williams, OUT (Knee) Lakers: LeBron James, Questionable (Ankle) Anthony Davis, Probable (Achilles) Cam Reddish, Probable (Ankle) Colin Castleton, OUT (Wrist) Jarred Vanderbilt, OUT (Foot) Gabe Vincent, OUT (Knee) Christian Wood, OUT (Knee) The absence of James would obviously be massive for the Lakers.
Still, he and Davis are typically labeled as either questionable or probable, so one can assume both of the two Lakers stars will end up playing in this one.
Beyond James and Davis, there aren’t any absolutely game-changing names.
Of course, the Thunder would like to have Jaylin Williams and the Lakers would like to have Cam Reddish, but the two teams aren’t in any worse of a position without those players.
UPDATED ODDS
In the 9:30 p.m.
CT matchup on NBA TV, the Thunder is a 1.5-point favorite, which is how the line opened.
The Thunder is a short favorite, despite being the top seed playing a No. 10 seed.
Given the spread, it’s hard to imagine the oddsmakers aren’t assuming both the Lakers star players will be active in this game, too.
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