Through 3 Quarters

The Los Angeles Lakers can't call it a day yet, but they are winning as expected. They have emerged as the frontrunner after three quarters and are ahead of the Oklahoma City Thunder 90-82.

The Lakers have been relying on center Dwight Howard, who has 15 points along with eight boards, and small forward Stanley Johnson, who has 17 points in addition to four rebounds.

Small forward Jaylen Hoard has led the way so far for Oklahoma City, as he has dropped a double-double on 23 points and 14 rebounds along with four dimes. Those points put Hoard near his season high of 24.

Oklahoma City has lost 86% of the time when they were down heading into the fourth quarter this season, so this one seems just about wrapped up

Who's Playing

Oklahoma City @ Los Angeles

Current Records: Oklahoma City 24-56; Los Angeles 31-49

What to Know

This Friday, the Los Angeles Lakers are hoping to patch up the holes in a defense that has allowed an average of 115 points per game. They are getting right back to it as they host the Oklahoma City Thunder at 10:30 p.m. ET April 8 at Crypto.com Arena. Los Angeles is out to stop a three-game streak of losses at home.

On Thursday, the Lakers lost to the Golden State Warriors on the road by a decisive 128-112 margin. The losing side was boosted by small forward Talen Horton-Tucker, who had 40 points.

Meanwhile, it's never fun to lose, and it's even less fun to lose 137-101, which was the final score in Oklahoma City's tilt against the Utah Jazz on Wednesday. OKC was down 106-85 at the end of the third quarter, which was just too much to recover from. Melvin Frazier Jr. wasn't much of a difference maker for OKC; Frazier Jr. finished with only eight points on 4-for-15 shooting in his 32 minutes on the court.

The losses put OKC at 24-56 and the Lakers at 31-49. Neither squad can make the playoffs, so they're playing for draft order now. Los Angeles is expected to win this handily, but they should have beaten OKC Nov. 4 easily too and instead slipped up with a 107-104. In other words, don't count OKC out just yet.

How To Watch

  • When: Friday at 10:30 p.m. ET
  • Where: Crypto.com Arena -- Los Angeles, California
  • TV: Bally Sports Oklahoma
  • Online streaming: fuboTV (Try for free. Regional restrictions may apply.)
  • Follow: CBS Sports App
  • Ticket Cost: $15.00

Odds

The Lakers are a solid 5.5-point favorite against the Thunder, according to the latest NBA odds.

The line on this game has moved quite a bit since it opened, as it started out with the Lakers as a 9-point favorite.

Over/Under: -110

See NBA picks for every single game, including this one, from SportsLine's advanced computer model. Get picks now.

Series History

Oklahoma City have won 13 out of their last 24 games against Los Angeles.

  • Dec 10, 2021 - Los Angeles 116 vs. Oklahoma City 95
  • Nov 04, 2021 - Oklahoma City 107 vs. Los Angeles 104
  • Oct 27, 2021 - Oklahoma City 123 vs. Los Angeles 115
  • Feb 10, 2021 - Los Angeles 114 vs. Oklahoma City 113
  • Feb 08, 2021 - Los Angeles 119 vs. Oklahoma City 112
  • Jan 13, 2021 - Los Angeles 128 vs. Oklahoma City 99
  • Aug 05, 2020 - Oklahoma City 105 vs. Los Angeles 86
  • Jan 11, 2020 - Los Angeles 125 vs. Oklahoma City 110
  • Nov 22, 2019 - Los Angeles 130 vs. Oklahoma City 127
  • Nov 19, 2019 - Los Angeles 112 vs. Oklahoma City 107
  • Apr 02, 2019 - Oklahoma City 119 vs. Los Angeles 103
  • Jan 17, 2019 - Los Angeles 138 vs. Oklahoma City 128
  • Jan 02, 2019 - Oklahoma City 107 vs. Los Angeles 100
  • Feb 08, 2018 - Los Angeles 106 vs. Oklahoma City 81
  • Feb 04, 2018 - Los Angeles 108 vs. Oklahoma City 104
  • Jan 17, 2018 - Oklahoma City 114 vs. Los Angeles 90
  • Jan 03, 2018 - Oklahoma City 133 vs. Los Angeles 96
  • Feb 24, 2017 - Oklahoma City 110 vs. Los Angeles 93
  • Nov 22, 2016 - Los Angeles 111 vs. Oklahoma City 109
  • Oct 30, 2016 - Oklahoma City 113 vs. Los Angeles 96
  • Apr 11, 2016 - Oklahoma City 112 vs. Los Angeles 79
  • Jan 08, 2016 - Oklahoma City 117 vs. Los Angeles 113
  • Dec 23, 2015 - Oklahoma City 120 vs. Los Angeles 85
  • Dec 19, 2015 - Oklahoma City 118 vs. Los Angeles 78

Injury Report for Los Angeles

  • Carmelo Anthony: Out (Illness)
  • Russell Westbrook: Out (Shoulder)
  • Anthony Davis: Out (Foot)
  • LeBron James: Out for the Season (Ankle)
  • Kendrick Nunn: Out for the Season (Knee)

Injury Report for Oklahoma City

  • Kenrich Williams: Out (Knee)
  • Tre Mann: Out (Hamstring)
  • Derrick Favors: Out for the Season (Back)
  • Darius Bazley: Out for the Season (Knee)
  • Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: Out for the Season (Ankle)
  • Josh Giddey: Out for the Season (Hip)
  • Mike Muscala: Out for the Season (Ankle)
  • Ty Jerome: Out for the Season (Groin)
  • Luguentz Dort: Out for the Season (Shoulder)