The Los Angeles Lakers will be missing key players when they face the OKC Thunder. The Thunder will also be without one of their players for the match.
Williams Out for Thunder
The OKC Thunder will be without Jalen Williams. Williams is out due to right hamstring injury management.
The All-NBA forward returned on March 23 from a right hamstring strain that sidelined him for 16 games. The same injury also caused him to miss 10 straight games earlier this season.
Lakers’ Injury Woes
The Lakers will be without Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves. Marcus Smart will also be sidelined for Los Angeles.
Doncic is out with a left hamstring strain, while Reaves has a left oblique muscle strain. Smart is suffering from a right ankle contusion.
Thunder’s Recent Form
OKC is looking to continue its strong play as of late. The Thunder cruised to a 146-111 home victory over the Utah Jazz on Sunday, marking its 17th win in its last 18 games.
Lakers Seek to Bounce Back
Los Angeles fell short in a 134-128 road loss to the Dallas Mavericks on Sunday. The Lakers struggled to take care of the basketball and slow down the pace due to the Thunder’s turnover-forcing defense. They also didn’t have a ton of options to throw at Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, especially with Marcus Smart sidelined.
Prediction
Justin Martinez predicts OKC to win 119-94. Martinez believes this is a bad matchup for Los Angeles, which was proven in its 43-point loss to OKC on Thursday. Even without Jalen Williams, OKC should win this game.
- OKC is 62-16.
- Los Angeles is 50-28.
The game is scheduled for 9:30 p.m. CT Tuesday.