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The Los Angeles Lakers had a crazy game in Sacramento that came down to the last possession, and hopefully they saved some energy as they host the Oklahoma City Thunder in the second half of their back-to-back. This will be their third meeting in less than a month, piling on games against each other recently.
Oklahoma City won in blowout games in the last two, and this could be more of the same. D'Angelo Russell had a career-high scoring performance against the Kings but ended the night with what's been called a "moderate" ankle sprain. His status is in the air, so expect to hear an update on the extent of the injury heading into the game.
Kobe Bryant played for the first time since taking a three-game homestand off and looked good. He sat out of the entire fourth quarter after scoring 28 points, giving Kings fans in Sacramento a few last shots to remember. Bryant hasn't played in Staples Center since the Lakers' Christmas Day game against the Clippers. Expect to continue seeing Anthony Brown in the rotation even if Kobe plays, who's filled in as a starter and soaked minutes against the Kings.
We saw a spirited effort in Sacramento, but the defense through the first half was completely dysfunctional. Kevin Durant and Russell Westrbook we'll make quick work of that, as we've seen already this season, and Enes Kanter has dominated the Lakers' frontcourt.
Time: 7:30 p.m. PT
TV: TWCSN, ESPN, FSOK