The Lakers (32-19) are set to face the Thunder (40-13) on Monday night (February 9) at the Crypto.com Arena. This will be the second game in a row where Luka Doncic has been sidelined due to a left hamstring strain after missing out on the Lakers’ 105-99 win against the Warriors on Saturday.
Doncic suffered a non-contact injury against the 76ers, which caused him to exit the game in the second quarter. The Slovenian superstar has led all scorers for the Lakers this season.
He is currently averaging 32.8 points, 8.6 assists, and 7.8 rebounds while shooting 47.3% from the field and 34.5% from beyond the three-point line.
The Lakers have also listed Deandre Ayton as probable for the game against the defending champions, as he is recovering from right knee soreness. The rookie Adou Thiero continues to be sidelined due to his right MCL sprain.
Meanwhile, for the Thunder, their former All-Star Jalen Williams is returning to action after sitting out nine games due to a hamstring issue. So far this season, he has averaged 16.8 points, 5.6 assists, and 4.8 rebounds while shooting 47.0% from the field and 30.0% from beyond the arc.
Williams earned his first All-Star selection last season but missed most of the beginning of this season while recovering from a wrist surgery he had in the offseason.
His recovery journey from his injury-plagued start to the season is the cause for the drop in his performance compared to last year. But he will surely be hungry to bounce back harder, and when the lights are bright in Los Angeles, stars usually tend to show up.
In their first meeting in Oklahoma, the Thunder comfortably beat the Lakers 121-92 on the shoulders of a 30-point game from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. But the reigning MVP will not be available tomorrow night for the Thunder as he is out with an Abdominal strain.
Moreover, LeBron James was also not healthy in the last meeting between these two sides. Therefore, we may see a battle of experience against youth tomorrow night.
Oklahoma will also not have Ajay Mitchell (Abdominal strain), Nikola Topic (Surgical recovery), and Thomas Sarber (Right ACL, surgery recovery) available in Los Angeles.
The Thunder would like to avoid letting a two-game skid turn into a three-game losing streak, while the Lakers would look to build on the momentum they have by beating the Warriors without Doncic as well. It will be interesting to see how these two sides match up without their key star players.
