Here is what you need to know before the Lakers’ matinee against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
1) Kobe Bryant will not play against the Thunder due to a sore shoulder. Rookie Anthony Brown will start for the first time in his stead.
Scott said LAL really don’t have any more info on Kobe’s shoulder. Not sure if he’ll fly home to see a doctor prior to Tuesday’s game.
2) The Lakers currently sit at just 4-22, but they have several players ranking toward the top of the league in several categories. This includes Julius Randle, who is currently 12th among all players in rebounding (9.5).
3) Last time the Lakers and Thunder faced off, Jordan Clarkson had one of the breakout performances of his rookie season. Clarkson dropped a career-high 30 points on 12-of-19 shooting on March 24.
4) Oklahoma City has been hostile to the purple and gold recently. The Lakers have lost six straight games at Chesapeake Energy Arena, last winning there in February 2011.
5) Russell Westbrook continues to do it all for the Thunder, as he leads the league in steals (2.4) and ranks second in assists (9.4). The UCLA product also averages 25.6 points, which is a large reason for his 17 double-doubles (second in the NBA) and three triple-doubles (third).
6) Kevin Durant has returned to an elite group of scorers this season. After playing only 27 games last year, the 2014 MVP ranks third in scoring (27.2), 10th in field goal percentage (52.7) and eighth in 3-pointers (2.5).
7) Serge Ibaka ranks third in the league in blocks (2.5), but his defense goes well beyond the highlight plays. He limits opponents to just 39.0 percent shooting at the rim, which is the NBA’ second-best protection.
8) Thanks largely to Westbrook and Durant’s perennial lall-star combination, the Thunder score the league’s second-most points per game (107.3). They also rack up their buckets efficiently by shooting the third-best field goal percentage (46.9).
9) Much of the reason for Oklahoma City’s 17-9 start to the season has been its remarkable health thus far. The Thunder have lost only eight games due to injury or illness, and they currently have no listed injuries.
10) Oklahoma City’s Billy Donovan may be in his first season as an NBA head coach, but he has a pair of assistants with plenty of experience. Monty Williams was New Orleans’ head man until last season, while Maurice Cheeks has previously held the reigns in Portland, Philadelphia and Detroit.
