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HOUSTON, TEXAS – MARCH 16: LeBron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers reacts during the game against the Houston Rockets at Toyota Center on March 16, 2026 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Kenneth Richmond/Getty Images)
The Los Angeles Lakers travel to Oklahoma City to play the Thunder in a high-stakes inner-conference showdown tomorrow night.Â
Los Angeles is coming off its 50th win of the season in Tuesday’s blow-out victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers. It marks the first time in 15 years the Lakers have secured 50 wins in back-to-back seasons.
The team remains hot as the final weeks of the regular season play out. L.A. is 17-5 in its last 22 games but still desperately trying to ward off multiple teams biting at the No. 3 seed.Â
It’s safe to say every game from here until the end of the second week of April is massive concerning the Western Conference standings.Â
The Lakers will enter hostile territory on Thursday. They are set to square off against the defending champions, who have been surging even higher.Â
The Thunder have won 15 of their last 16 games and hold a slight cushion over the San Antonio Spurs for the best record in the NBA.Â
With plenty at stake over the final 13 days of the season, it is already beginning to feel like a playoff atmosphere every Lakers game.Â
Los Angeles Lakers announce injury report ahead of OKC clash
L.A. has discovered some major rhythm at perhaps the most opportune time.Â
The Big Three of Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves and LeBron James has looked better than it ever has in the 14 months since the seismic trade that brought Doncic to Los Angeles.Â
James, the league’s oldest player, has settled himself into a comfortable role as the team’s third option. Reaves, having himself a career year, has grasped brilliance as the second scoring option.Â
To top it off, the Lakers have become united as a defensive unit over the last couple of months. But they’ll face a test against an explosive and feisty Thunder team.
The good news is that L.A. is almost fully healthy, though they’ll be without one crucial piece on the road tomorrow.Â
Here is the official injury report the team announced today:
Kobe Bufkin: OUT (G League assignment)
Dalton Knecht: OUT (G League assignment)
Marcus Smart: OUT (right ankle contusion)Â
Adou Thiero: OUT (G League assignment)Â
Los Angeles aims to get fully healthy as MVP battle is on tap
The Lakers will continue to be without Smart, who will miss a sixth consecutive game. The 32-year-old defensive ace has been battling some ankle trouble, but head coach JJ Redick announced a few days ago that Smart is on a day-to-day timeline, meaning his injury isn’t considered more than minor.Â
Missing Smart against the Thunder is a significant blow. The Lakers will be challenged to slow down soon-to-be two-time MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander by committee.Â
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA – JANUARY 02: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander #2 of the Oklahoma City Thunder smiles. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
The 27-year-old Oklahoma City star is having yet another marvelous season and is on pace to become the first guard in NBA history to average better than 30 points per game while shooting 55% from the floor. That guy is silly good and a nightmare for every defense.Â
Meanwhile, Doncic gets another shot at going head-to-head with his draftmate. The Lakers star is coming off a volcanic March, joining only Micheal Jordan as the only players ever to record a total of 600 points in a single month.
Doncic was outshined by Gilgeous-Alexander in their last meeting early in the season. Now that Doncic has made some serious MVP noise himself, he’ll have an opportunity to make a statement on the road.Â
The Lakers are 50-26 while the Thunder, the only team in the Association with 60 wins so far, sit at 60-16.Â
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Adel Ahmad Adel is a writer with over five years of experience covering the NBA. His work has appeared on various media platforms, both national and local. More about Adel Ahmad
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