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Are Anthony Davis and LeBron James Playing Tonight? Los Angeles Lakers vs Oklahoma City Thunder: Injury Updates, Lineups, and Prediction

Published 01/13/2021, 1:00 PM EST

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USA Today via Reuters

The Los Angeles Lakers return to action tonight against the Oklahoma City Thunder. They are on the road once again, as the two teams will meet at the Chesapeake Energy Arena at 8 pm EST.

The defending champions Lakers are coming off two dominant wins against the Rockets. The first was an 18 point win and the second one was a 17 point win. After a few defensive mistakes cost them a couple of losses, Anthony Davis spoke up about it. The team rallied behind him and showed they can be a fortress at their defensive best.

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The Thunder are aiming to get back to winning ways after their three-game winning streak was broken yesterday. They beat three in-form teams like the Nets, Knicks, and the Pelicans, but lost to the Spurs then. Despite trading away all of their best players except Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, they have still managed five wins out of 10.

Los Angeles Lakers expected lineup

The Lakers have confirmed Wesley Matthews will miss out with an Achilles injury. AD (Toe) and Jared Dudley (Calf) are doubtful but should be able to feature.

USA Today via Reuters

So their lineup will continue to have Dennis Schroder and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope as the guards, LeBron James and Anthony Davis as the forwards, and Marc Gasol manning the center position.

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Oklahoma City Thunder expected lineup

Ty Jerome (Ankle) is still listed as doubtful and hasn’t played a single game all season. He is unlikely to feature. Trevor Ariza (Personal) hasn’t joined his team yet and will miss out once again.

USA Today via Reuters

OKC will also have an unchanged lineup. So George Hill and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander will start as the guards, Luguentz Dort and Darius Bazley will start as the forwards, and Al Horford will start as their center.

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Predictions

The Lakers come in as the obvious favorites tonight. They have reminded the league that they are still the best team, and they will be keen on winning this before returning to the Staples. The Thunder have shown they can take teams by surprise, but there is no one on their roster who can stop Davis or LeBron. Dort has been excellent on defense and will ensure LeBron doesn’t have an easy time.

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The Thunder have fought hard in every game so far, but the Lakers should have a comfortable win tonight.

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Written by:

Aaron Mathew

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Aaron Mathew is a sports analyst at EssentiallySports. A graduate in Mass Media from Xavier’s College, Aaron has been a part of EssentiallySports since May 2020 where he covers both NBA and NCAA basketball news, and has also covered NBA 2K. In the past, Aaron has worked at the Sports Desk of Mumbai Mirror.
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