Los Angeles Lakers at Oklahoma City Thunder Game Preview
The Los Angeles Lakers will face the Oklahoma City Thunder this afternoon in a pivotal Western Conference matchup. The team is coming off a pivotal win against the New Orleans Pelicans, where they were able to recapture the third seed in the west.
Following an up-and-down month of March, the Lakers are looking to build consistency and sharpen their focus as they head into the team’s playoff stretch.
The Lakers have two straight CRUCIAL games against the Thunder 👀
Let’s take it game by game and find a way to clinch this 3 seed 🙏 pic.twitter.com/9Ahd2fanzt
— Lakers All Day Everyday (@LADEig) April 6, 2025
LAKERS LINEUP AND ROTATION
The Lakers are expected to start with Luka Doncic at point guard, Austin Reaves at shooting guard, LeBron James at small forward, Rui Hachimura at power forward, and Jaxson Hayes at center.
While not perfect, this lineup has proven plenty capable this season and showcased great chemistry. The team’s “big three” of Doncic, James, and Reaves have all been red hot, with Reaves just recently becoming the first Lakers player in franchise history to total 15+ three-pointers made over a two-game span.
Off the bench, Gabe Vincent, Dalton Knecht, and Dorian Finney-Smith should provide significant minutes, while Jordan Goodwin has also started cracking significant role-player minutes.
WHERE TO IMPROVE
Despite securing the win over New Orleans, the Lakers still have key areas to tighten up if they hope to make a deep playoff run. Defensive slow starts remain an issue, as the Pelicans managed to put up two 30-point quarters in the first half.
The team needs to play with consistent urgency throughout all four quarters—not just after falling behind.
Additionally, the team needs to find ways to improve defensive rebounding in the paint. After being thrust into a larger role following the AD trade, Hayes has understandably had some ups and downs as a defender.
Whether that involves crowding the paint or giving more minutes to the other bigs, JJ Redick will need to make adjustments to help address this issue.
THE OPPONENT
The Oklahoma City Thunder have been one of the league’s most dominant teams this season, entering the matchup with a 64-12 record and holding the top seed in the Western Conference.
Led by MVP frontrunner Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, OKC is a true title contender—capable of going toe-to-toe with any team in a shootout while also backing it up with one of the NBA’s best defenses.
Obviously, the Thunder are a much better team than the Pelicans in all phases and can close the curtains on the game fast if the Lakeshow lets it get out of hand.
Outside of Shai, OKC has plenty of size in their frontcourt with Chet Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein, who will surely be big factors if the Lakers don’t clean their defensive rebounding woes. Jalen Williams and Luguentz Dort also provide versatility on both ends of the floor.
While the Thunder are young and hungry, they can still be turnover-prone and occasionally struggle with half-court offense when defenses clamp down.
Their fast pace and high energy make them dangerous in transition, but if the Lakers can control the tempo, protect the ball, and get big performances from Doncic, James, and Reaves, they’ll have a chance at pulling off the upset.
Ultimately, containing SGA and limiting second-chance points will be critical if L.A. wants to leave Oklahoma City with a statement win.
