Overview
- Oklahoma City beat Los Angeles 123-87 at Crypto.com Arena on Tuesday with the Lakers missing Luka Dončić, LeBron James, Austin Reaves, Marcus Smart and Jaxson Hayes.
- The Lakers started Luke Kennard, Jake LaRavia, Rui Hachimura, Drew Timme and Deandre Ayton in a patchwork lineup.
- LeBron sat with left foot soreness as Dončić and Reaves remained out for the rest of the regular season due to hamstring and oblique strains.
- The defeat marked a third straight loss for Los Angeles and increased the chance of dropping behind Houston to fifth, which would cost first-round home court.
- Oklahoma City moved to 62-16 during a 20-2 surge and now needs two more wins to clinch the West’s No. 1 seed, while sportsbooks priced the game as a mismatch with a -2500 Thunder moneyline before tip.