Coming off their biggest win of the season on the road against the Oklahoma City Thunder, the Los Angeles Lakers are back in action on Tuesday night against the same team at Paycom Center.
It was originally unclear who would be suiting up for the Lakers as Luka Doncic (right groin strain), Dorian Finney-Smith (left ankle effusion), LeBron James (left groin strain), Austin Reaves (right ankle sprain) and Gabe Vincent (left knee effusion) were all listed as questionable.
That’s in addition to Rui Hachimura (left patellar tendinopathy), Bronny James Jr. (illness) and Maxi Kleber (right foot surgery recovery) being ruled out.
There was some thought about the Lakers potentially punting this game considering it is the first night of a back-to-back before taking on the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday.
The Lakers only need to win two of their final four games to clinch the third seed in the West and considering the Mavericks are an easier opponent on paper and it also marks Doncic’s return to Dallas for the first time, the thought was that key guys would sit out the second game against the Thunder in order to be ready for the Mavericks.
The other aspect of punting the Oklahoma City game is it would give L.A. a psychological edge heading into the postseason over the No. 1 seed.
It appears that is not the route the Lakers are going, however, as Doncic, Finney-Smith, James, Reaves and Vincent were all upgraded to probable and now are expected to play. It remains to be seen what that means for the Mavericks game, but the Lakers are clearly going for it and looking to beat the Thunder two games in a row on their home court with Oklahoma City again having all of its players available.
If the Lakers win this game, they are not only one step closer to getting the 3-seed, but they will also clinch a playoff berth and avoid the Play-In Tournament for the first time in the last three years.
There certainly is a lot at stake here, making for another very intriguing regular season game between the Lakers and Thunder with only a few left to go before the playoffs.
Los Angeles Lakers (48-30) vs. Oklahoma City Thunder (64-14)
5:00 p.m. PT, April 8, 2025
Paycom Center, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
TV: Spectrum SportsNet
Radio: 710 AM ESPN LA
Projected Lakers starting lineup:
PG: Luka Doncic
SG: Austin Reaves
SF: Dorian Finney-Smith
PF: LeBron James
C: Jaxson Hayes
Key Reserves: Gabe Vincent, Dalton Knecht, Jordan Goodwin, Jarred Vanderbilt
Projected Thunder starting lineup:
PG: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
SG: Lu Dort
SF: Jalen Williams
PF: Chet Holmgren
C: Isaiah Hartenstein
Key Reserves: Isaiah Joe, Cason Wallace, Alex Caruso, Aaron Wiggins, Kenrich Williams
Have you subscribed to our YouTube channel? It’s the best way to watch player interviews, exclusive coverage from events, participate in live shows, and more!
