On Wednesday night, the Oklahoma City Thunder will face off against the Los Angeles Lakers, hoping to see another successful back-to-back campaign.
Last night they took on Stephen Curry and the Warriors, effectively dispatching the once-great Golden State in just three quarters. The was a twenty-plus-point deficit heading into the final frame, and OKC was able to rest its starters a bit more ahead of a bout with Los Angeles.
At 11-1, Oklahoma City is already back atop the NBA standings, though the Lakers present a challenge, especially with less-than-fresh legs.
The purple and gold are presently led by Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves, both of which are seeing some of the best output of their young careers. Doncic looks an MVP candidate, and has been known to give even the terrific Thunder defense issues with his all-time play-making ability. Reaves has seen a breakout season, averaging 30.3 points on 48% shooting overall.
Should the Thunder want to move to 12-1 on the season, they’ll need to bring their A-game tonight.
Here are the injury reports for both the Thunder and Lakers ahead of tonight’s bout:
OKC Thunder injuries:
Luguentz Dort — Out: Right upper trap strain
Thomas Sorber — Out: Right ACL
Nikola Topic — Out: N/A
Aaron Wiggins — Out: Left adductor strain
Jalen Williams — Out: Right wrist
Kenrich Williams — Out: Left knee
Los Angeles Lakers injuries:
LeBron James — Out: Right sciatica
Adou Thiero — Out: Left knee surgery
Gabe Vincent — Out: Left ankle sprain
The Thunder continue to be without a host of both starters and rotational contributors, including All-NBA hybrid Jalen Williams, who has yet to play this season.
The most notable on this particular injury report is Luguentz Dort, who is set to miss his fifth-straight game due to an upper trap strain. OKC has enough talented defenders waiting in the wings to survive most teams without him, but Dort has traditionally been solely responsible for guarding Doncic.
Shutting down Doncic fully is obviously impossible, though Dort’s affinity for learning matchup nuances, as well as his study frame, has afforded him some grace versus the Lakers’ superstar.
Other Thunder players out include Aaron Wiggins, Kenrrich Williams and its two rookies in Nikola Topic and Thomas Sorber.
The Lakers continue to be without LeBron James, who seems to be in a return-to-play stretch, though he won’t debut in OKC tonight.
The Thunder and Lakers tip off at 8:30 p.m. CT from Oklahoma City, OK.
