The Los Angeles Lakers will take on the Oklahoma City Thunder for the second time in as many games to begin a four-game road trip while hoping to extend their winning streak to six games.
The Lakers led for a majority of their first matchup against the Thunder but struggled to keep their distance, allowing for the pesky opponent to climb back into the game on several occasions. They ultimately won 112-107, but the gap felt much wider.
The win was capped off by a huge Kentavious Caldwell-Pope three-pointer, who has played extremely well since being inserted into the starting lineup in place of the injured Avery Bradley.
For Bradley, there are no plans to bring him back on the team’s current four-game road trip, which includes games against the Thunder, Memphis Grizzlies, San Antonio Spurs, and New Orleans Pelicans.
In other injury news, both Alex Caruso and Kyle Kuzma are listed as probable after suffering minor injuries in previous game. The Lakers said Caruso suffered a minor calf strain and Kuzma is still dealing with an eye abrasion and will be playing in goggles.
The Thunder suffered no injuries and will play with the same lineup they had, which still excludes Andre Roberson and Hamidou Diallo.
The Lakers will continue their offensive strategy of LeBron James initiating and playing through Anthony Davis. Davis put up 34 points, seven rebounds, four blocks, and two steals while James had 25 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 assists.
This triple-double also had some history behind it as James became the first player in NBA history to record one against all teams.
James and Davis are continuing to lead the Lakers in playing superb basketball and are finding ways to make improvements — even in wins. The Lakers are now home to a top-10 offense and now have the second-best defense while leading to the NBA’s best net rating of 9.1.
The Lakers still have some ways to go in terms of building chemistry, which should be a scary sight for the rest of the league. This road trip will be a good test as the Lakers have played a majority of their games at Staples Center this season.
Similar to last game, this should be a win for the Lakers if they play their style and don’t allow the Thunder to hang around all game again since close games can go differently on the road than they do at home.
Los Angeles Lakers (12-2) vs. Oklahoma City Thunder (5-9)
5:00 P.M. PT, Nov. 22, 2019
Chesapeake Energy Arena, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
TV: Spectrum SportsNet
Radio: 710 AM (ESPN), 1330 KWKW (Spanish)
Projected Lakers Starting Lineup:
PG: LeBron James
SG: Kentavious Caldwell-Pope
SF: Danny Green
PF: Anthony Davis
C: JaVale McGee
Key Reserves: Kyle Kuzma, Dwight Howard, Alex Caruso, Quinn Cook
Projected Thunder Starting Lineup:
PG: Chris Paul
SG: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
SF: Terrance Ferguson
PF: Danilo Gallinari
C: Steven Adams
Key Reserves: Dennis Schroder, Nerlens Noel, Darius Bazley, Abdel Nader