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LOS ANGELES, CA – MARCH 14, 2026: Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) and Los Angeles Lakers guard Austin Reaves (15) react towards Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic (77) after Doncic scored the game winning basket in overtime against the Denver Nuggets at Crypto.com Arena on March 14, 2026 in Los Angeles, California.(Gina Ferazzi \/ Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)<\/p>\n
The Los Angeles Lakers<\/a> are set to play the Oklahoma City Thunder<\/a> on Thursday, April 2, in what has been recently billed as one of the biggest games of the 2025-26 NBA<\/a> season. With that, the Lakers\u2019 star trio of Luka Doncic<\/a>, LeBron James<\/a>, and Austin Reaves<\/a> has a big task ahead of them when it comes to facing the defending champions.<\/p>\n However, while there were major questions about the trio to begin the year, and even halfway through the season, the combination of Doncic, James, and Reaves has answered the critics, and quickly become one of the most prolific groups of a team\u2019s top three players in the league.<\/p>\n Before the Lakers vs. Thunder showdown on Amazon Prime Video, the NBA announced news about the trio from Los Angeles, and the historical record they are on pace to break this year.<\/p>\n NBA Announces Major Luka Doncic, LeBron James, Austin Reaves News Before Lakers vs. Thunder Game GettyLOS ANGELES, CA \u2013 MARCH 14, 2026: Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) and Los Angeles Lakers guard Austin Reaves (15) react with Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic (77) after Doncic scored the game-winning basket in overtime against the Denver Nuggets<\/a> at Crypto.com Arena on March 14, 2026, in Los Angeles, California.(Gina Ferazzi \/ Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)<\/p>\n In a league with a solid amount of tanking teams<\/a>, matchups like Thursday\u2019s don\u2019t come along every day. However, with arguably the most popular team set to face off against arguably the most successful team, the Lakers vs. Thunder game is all but certain to bring fireworks in a matchup that will feature some of the NBA\u2019s top talent, and MVP candidates.<\/a><\/p>\n Regardless, before the key contest, the NBA announced news related to the Lakers\u2019 trio of Doncic, James, and Reaves. In a post on social media<\/a>, the league revealed that those three are on pace to become the first trio in NBA history to each average at least 20 points and five assists per game.<\/p>\n \u201cLUKA: 33.8 ppg, 8.3 apg REAVES: 23.4 ppg, 5.6 apg LEBRON: 20.7 ppg, 7.0 apg,\u201d they wrote.<\/a> \u201cNo trio has EVER averaged 20+ PPG and 5+ APG for a full season!\u201d<\/p>\n Just for the sake of clarity, here are the full season statistics for each of the Lakers\u2019 top three stars:<\/p>\n Luka Doncic stats: 33.8 points, 7.8 rebounds, 8.3 assists, and 1.7 steals on 47.7\/36.8\/77.9 shooting splits in 63 games.<\/p>\n LeBron James stats: 20.7 points, six rebounds, seven assists, and 1.1 steals on 51.2\/31.4\/74.4 shooting splits in 55 games.<\/p>\n Austin Reaves stats: 23.4 points, 4.7 rebounds, 5.6 assists, and 1.1 steals on 48.9\/35.7\/87 shooting splits in 50 games.<\/p>\n While there were serious questions about this group playing together before the season, with James\u2019 taking a new role as their third option on offense<\/a>, it has only led to more success.<\/p>\n The numbers for Doncic and Reaves have been strong all season, and while James\u2019 have dropped a bit, the Lakers have seemed to find a groove, as they\u2019ve won 13 of their last 14 games, and look like they have a solid grip on the third seed in the Western Conference standings<\/a>.<\/p>\n Should each player finish the year with around these numbers, they\u2019ll become the first trio in NBA history to average at least 20 points and five assists across an entire season. These statistics would also make them one of the highest scoring trios in NBA history.<\/p>\n Los Angeles Lakers Lakers Injury Report Vs Thunder Oklahoma City Thunder<\/p>\n In what comes as good news for the Lakers is that they\u2019ll have Doncic, James, and Reaves all available for the major game against the Thunder on Thursday.<\/p>\n Each has missed a stretch this season with different injury concerns, but in the lead-up to the game, none are listed on the Lakers\u2019 injury report.<\/a><\/p>\n In fact, Los Angeles is set to be without just one of their key players against Oklahoma City.<\/p>\n Marcus Smart<\/a> is the only full-time player on the injury report. He is officially listed as out with an ankle injury<\/a> that has sidelined him the past few games.<\/p>\n Marcus Smart (ankle) ruled out for Thursday.<\/p>\n Kobe Bufkin<\/a>, Dalton Knecht<\/a>, and Adou Thiero<\/a>, all currently in the G-League, also won\u2019t play for the Lakers.<\/p>\n In what might not be great news, is that the Thunder look to have a mostly healthy lineup for Thursday. Alex Caruso<\/a> is currently questionable with an illness, but besides him, OKC will have the rest of their roster available.<\/a><\/p>\n This game is big for the Lakers because, while they played very well in March, this is their first real test against a team that expects to be the favorites for the championship this season. While a loss might not mean all title hopes are lost, it will prove that Los Angeles still has a ways to go regarding winning multiple playoff rounds in a row.<\/p>\n However, a win would prove their recent strong run is real, and might give hope that they could beat a team like the Thunder or San Antonio Spurs<\/a> in a postseason matchup.<\/p>\n The Lakers vs. Thunder game tips off at 9:30 pm EST and 6:30 pm PST on Amazon Prime video.<\/p>\n \n\t\t\tEli Gregorski<\/a> is a sports journalist covering the NBA for Heavy Sports. He has years of sports writing experience covering the NBA, NFL, college football and basketball, international soccer, and Formula One. He graduated from the University of Colorado Boulder, where he was the assistant sports editor for the award-winning CU Independent student publication. More about Eli Gregorski<\/a>\t\t<\/p>\n \t![\"Los](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/GettyImages-2266122652_75fe43-e1775157323517.jpg\")
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