The 2023-24 NBA season goes on Monday, March 4, with the Oklahoma City Thunder taking on the Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference battle at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, California, with the tip-off at 10:30 PM ET.

The Lakers are coming off a disappointing loss

The Los Angeles Lakers suffered a 124-114 defeat to the reigning NBA champions, the Denver Nuggets, this past Saturday, failing to extend their winning streak to three games. Purple-and-Gold blew an 11-point first-half lead and were outscored 35-25 in the fourth quarter.

The Lakers couldn’t cope with Nikola Jokic, who finished with 35 points and ten rebounds. LeBron James led the way for the Lakers with 26 points and nine assists, becoming the first player with 40,000 points in NBA history. Rui Hachimura accounted for 23 points, while Anthony Davis had 17 points and 11 rebounds.

The Lakers hold the No. 10 seed in the West. They are 5.5 games ahead of the No. 11 Utah Jazz. The Lakers score 115.2 points per 100 possessions (18th in the NBA) while surrendering 115.8 points in return (17th).

OKC and Los Angeles wrap up their four-game regular-season series. The Lakers hope to clinch it with the third straight victory over the Thunder.

The Thunder play without rest

Sunday’s games have been excluded from the analysis, and the Oklahoma City Thunder visited the Phoenix Suns, looking to get back on the winning track. Last Thursday, the Thunder stopped a six-game winning streak with a 132-118 defeat at the San Antonio Spurs.

OKC was an 11.5-point fave in San Antonio. The Thunder played a surprisingly bad defense while shooting 49.4% from the field. They made just nine of their 31 attempts from beyond the 3-point line. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander accounted for 31 points and six rebounds, and Jalen Williams had 26 points and six boards.

The Thunder were second in the Western Conference on Sunday morning. They trailed the Minnesota Timberwolves by half a game. OKC ranked third in the league in adjusted offensive efficiency (120.5 points per 100 possessions) and fifth in adjusted defensive efficiency (112.6).