Injury Report, Updated Odds (12/23): Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Los Angeles Lakers
Coming off three straight wins, the Oklahoma City Thunder looks to extend its winning streak against the Los Angeles Lakers in its final game before Christmas. Holding the No. 2 seed, the Thunder looks to protect its spot in the Western Conference with a win.
On the Lakers' side of things, they're the No. 9 seed in the Western Conference. On a five-game losing streak, they look to avoid falling further as they have struggled quite a bit since winning the In-Season Tournament.
The two teams have faced off one time, and they'll battle it out two additional times after they play each other on Saturday night.
Injury Report:
Thunder:
Josh Giddey, OUT (Ankle sprain)
Keyontae Johnson, Questionable (G League)
Lakers:
Gabe Vincent, Probable (Knee)
Jarred Vanderbilt, Active (Heel)
Jalen Hood-Schifino, Probable (Back)
LeBron James, Active (Ankle)
Anthony Davis, Active (Ankle)
In the Thunder's last game against the Los Angeles Clippers, he suffered an ankle injury in the first half and didn't return in the game because of the injury. He now remains out with an ankle sprain, which will see the Thunder make a change in the starting lineup. One would have to assume that would see Cason Wallace make the start, as he's been a spot starter in injury absences.
On the Lakers' side, they have mostly probable or questionable injuries, with the two questionable being Anthony Davis and LeBron James. Going out on a limb, it's hard to imagine neither of them playing in this matchup, and both playing wouldn't come as a surprise.
Updated Odds:
Despite Giddey's injury status, the Thunder opened as 3.5-point favorites, and the spread hasn't moved since. It's probably hard for oddsmakers to gauge as both Davis and James are consistently questionable.
Still, the Thunder has been rolling, but the Lakers will be desperate to get on the right side of the win column in this one. The last time these two teams played, the Thunder defeated a healthy Lakers team 133-110. This time, the Lakers are expected to make a starting lineup change.
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