The Los Angeles Lakers begin their five-game road trip against the triple-double machine, Russell Westbrook, and the Oklahoma City Thunder, in a game where they will look to play spoilers.
The injury-ridden Thunder are still hanging on to the eighth seed, two and a half games ahead of the ninth seeded Phoenix Suns and three games ahead of the New Orleans Pelicans. This is a must win for them, as they are playing against an eliminated Lakers team who has nothing to lose.
Despite being eliminated from playoff contention, the Lakers are still playing hard, with a lot of energy and effort. At this point, the Lakers season has turned into player evaluations as more than half the players are fighting for new contracts.
This will be the final game between the Lakers and Thunder, with Oklahoma City taking the first two meetings.
Both of the earlier games played this season were significantly close. In fact, the first game between the two teams, the Lakers lost by one point after Kobe Bryant was unable to knock down the potential game winner. Russell Westbrook finished with 31 points, 10 assists, and five rebounds in that game, while Ed Davis led the Lakers with 18 points and nine rebounds.
The second game was played in the beginning of the month when the Thunder hung on to win it, 108-101, despite not having Russell Westbrook or Kevin Durant. Westbrook was nursing a zygomatic arch fracture, while Durant, who is still out, had a sore foot. Serge Ibaka, D.J. Augustin, and Enes Kanter were brilliant for the Thunder. Ibaka put in 18 points, 14 rebounds, and three blocks, as Kanter recorded 16 points and 15 rebounds. Augustin added 18 points, nine rebounds, and five assists.
In this matchup, the Thunder will of course be without Durant and Ibaka, but Westbrook has been singlehandedly carrying the team. Since the All-Star break, he has been averaging 31.6 points, 11.3 assists, and 9.7 rebounds. Enes Kanter, who was acquired before the trade deadline, has also been stellar post All-Star weekend, averaging 17.2 points and 10.5 rebounds.
The new and improved depth of the Thunder has also been beneficial in a time of need with injuries piling up. Guys like Dion Waiters, D.J. Augustin, Anthony Morrow, Mitch McGary, Nick Collison, and Steven Adams have played a major role in Oklahoma City’s playoff push.
Both the Lakers and Thunder came out victorious in their last game. The Thunder versed the Miami Heat, winning 93-75, led Russell Westbrook’s 10th triple-double of the season. Kanter posted a double-double of 27 points and 12 rebounds to help the cause.
The Lakers, meanwhile, demolished the Philadelphia 76ers behind Jeremy Lin’s season-high 29 points to go along with five assists and five rebounds on 10 of 16 shooting. After Lin’s excellent play, Byron Scott will reinstate him into the starting lineup to play alongside rookie Jordan Clarkson in this one.
The Thunder has been extremely good at home, going 26-9 at the Chesapeake Energy Arena. The Lakers, on the other hand, are riding a four-game road losing streak and own a dismal 7-26 away record.
The game tips off at 8 pm Eastern Standard Time.