OKLAHOMA CITY –

Oklahoma City is coming off back-to-back losses for the fourth time this season tonight against the Los Angeles Lakers. The short-handed Thunder lost on Feb. 4 against the Spurs 116-106 and to the Rockets 112-106 on Saturday.

At 9 p.m. tonight, OKC will tip off against the Lakers in Los Angeles, who they defeated 121-92 at Paycom Center in November.

Injury report: Thunder shorthanded but JDub returns

Oklahoma City will be without two key contributors in Los Angeles.

Thunder players out vs. Lakers

Ajay Mitchell — Abdomen
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander — Abdominal
Nikola Topic — Illness – He’s been out all season, but was assigned to the Oklahoma City Blue on Sunday.

Jared McCain play vs. Los Angeles?

The Thunder recently acquired guard Jared McCain from the Philadelphia 76ers, adding another young scorer as injuries mount. McCain was the 16th overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft and has averaged 10.0 points per game in his NBA career while shooting 38.3% from three as a rookie.

McCain made his debut with the Thunder against the Rockets on Saturday. The Paycom Center crowd gave him a loud ovation when he first checked in and after settling into the game, he made his first bucket with OKC. He finished with 5 points, 2 rebounds and 1 assist in 14 minutes, with a plus/minus of +12.

“I was just excited to get out there… that crowd is insane so I was super blessed and thankful to be out there,” McCain told Thunder Reporter Steve McGehee. “It’s an honor to be a part of them.”

Lakers look to keep winning streak alive

Los Angeles will be without superstar Luka Doncic tonight, but that didn’t stop them from beating the Warriors on Saturday behind Lebron James’ 20 points and 10 assists. Center Deandre Ayton is day-to-day with a knee injury but is probable to play, according to ESPN. Former Sooner Austin Reaves is playing in his fourth game his Christmas Day injury, and trade-deadline acquisition Luke Kennard is playing in his second game with the Lakers. In Saturday’s game against the Warriors, He had 10 points, 2 rebounds and 2 assists.

LAL has won three straight games and hope that they can defeat the SGA-less Thunder and tighten the lead for the top spot in the Western Conference. OKC (40-13) are still 3.5 games ahead of the Spurs for the top spot and seven games ahead of the Lakers (32-19) who are currently in the 5 spot, tied with the Rockets, as we head toward the NBA All-Star break.

This weekend it was announced that Rockets center Alperen Sengun will replace SGA in the All-Star game as the MVP recovers from injury.

How to watch Thunder vs. Rockets

Date: Monday, Feb. 9Time: 9 p.m. CTLocation: Crypto.com Arena (Oklahoma City)TV: Streaming on Peacock