The Lakers (20-31) head to Oklahoma City for a matinee against the Thunder (30-23) on Sunday.

Los Angeles has lost the two previous meetings to the Thunder by an average of 30.5 points per contest — they will try to better acquit themselves in this matchup.

The Thunder, coming off of two close defeats and three consecutive losses overall, will be hungry for a bounce-back performance which does not bode well for the Lakers.

The Lakers are reportedly expected to pursue Thunder player Paul George this offseason, therefore a microscope has been placed on every comment he makes with regard to his future intentions. He is having a strong year, averaging 21.6 points, 5.5 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 2.0 steals and 3.1 3-pointers per game. Los Angeles had hoped to impress George with their young core of talented players but has been unable to do so in their first two attempts due to injury and poor performances.

Los Angeles will be without starting point guard Lonzo Ball, who will be missing his 10th game in a row with a sprained MCL ligament in his knee. They also face the possibility of playing without Brandon Ingram, who reported tightness in his groin after the Lakers’ win over the Nets on Friday.

Ingram played point guard for the first time in his career during that contest, recording a career-high 10 assists to go along with 16 points and eight rebounds, just missing a triple-double.

Another successful gambit for Laker coach Luke Walton for that matchup was replacing backup point guard Tyler Ennis in the starting lineup with rookie guard Josh Hart. Hart responded with a tremendous game, recording a double-double with a career-high 14 rebounds, 15 points and made several clutch shots including a crucial 3-pointer to help seal the victory.

Key Stats

• The Lakers allow the most second chance points in the league at 14.0 points per game vs. 12.2 second chance points per game for Oklahoma City (16th). That was particularly evident in the last meeting between these two teams when Steven Adams led the Thunder to a 21-6 offensive rebounding edge over the Lakers.
• The Lakers and Thunder are very similar statistically on offense with the Lakers shooting 45.6 percent from the field (17th), 32.6 percent from 3-point range (30th) and 68.9 percent from the free throw line (30th) compared to Oklahoma City who shoots 45.5 percent from the field (19th), 35.0 percent from 3-point range (27th) and 71.1 percent (29th) from the free throw line. The primary difference between the two teams is on the defensive end and turnovers department.
• Los Angeles averages 16.1 turnovers per game (29th) vs. 14.1 turnovers per game (11th) for Oklahoma City. These miscues lead to 18.8 points per game (27th) for Laker opponents compared to 14.2 points per game (2nd) for Thunder opponents.
• The Thunder excel at the defensive end of the ball with a 103.6 defensive rating (5th) compared to the Lakers who maintain a 105.2 defensive rating (13th) for the season. One can see this effect this poses in the statistical disparity between Lakers’ wins vs. losses where they have a 97.9 defensive rating (4th) in their wins compared to 109.9 in their losses.
• One specific element of defense worth noting is defending the paint where the Lakers concede 48.9 points per game (29th) vs. 42.0 points per game (6th) for the Thunder. This stat is crucial in this matchup as Los Angeles leads the league in points in the paint with 53.3 points in the paint vs. 43.6 points in the paint (16th) for Oklahoma City.

Projected Starting Lineups

Lakers

Brandon Ingram (PG)

Josh Hart (SG)

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (SF)

Julius Randle (PF)

Brook Lopez (C)

Thunder

Russell Westbrook (PG)

Terrance Ferguson (SG)

Paul George (SF)

Carmelo Anthony (PF)

Steven Adams (C)

Injury Report

Lakers

Lonzo Ball (knee/MCL sprain) – OUT

Brandon Ingram (groin tightness) – PROBABLE

Thunder

Andre Roberson (knee) – OUT

Broadcast Information

Time: 11:00 PM PST, 2:00 PM EST

Television: ABC

Radio: WWLS 98.1FM OKC, 710 AM ESPN, 1330 AM ESPN DEPORTES