vs. 
Los Angeles Lakers (9-10, 2-5 road) vs. OKC Thunder (15-4, 9-2 home)
TV: ESPN (Cox 29, HD720); FSOK (Cox 37, HD 722, Tulsa Cox 27, DirectTV 679, UVerse 754)
Stream: Click here
Radio: WWLS The Sports Animal (98.1 FM, 640 AM, 97.1 FM Tulsa)
Time: 8:30 CT
Offensive Rating: Thunder – 113.3 (2nd), Lakers– 107.2 (9th)
Defensive Rating: Thunder – 102.9 (9th), Lakers – 102.8 (8th)
Pace: Thunder – 92.3 (15th), Lakers – 94.3 (3rd)
View from the enemy: Forum Blue and Gold
It’s pretty obvious how this is going to play out. We’ve all watched sports long enough to know. The Thunder are rolling, looking as powerful as ever. The Lakers are the disappointment of basketball and have everyone digging their grave.
So naturally, they’re going to beat the Thunder in OKC and have everyone proclaiming they’re back. That’s just the way it works. Sports, y’know?
Then again, superior teams bet inferior teams more often than they lose, so the odds certainly favor Oklahoma City. No other way to shake it: The Thunder are far better than the Lakers right now. At the end of the season? Maybe it’s a different story. But currently, with Steve Nash out until who knows when, Dwight Howard looking unlike himself and the team playing soft defense overall, the Thunder aren’t just better, they’re considerably better. If you had me picking a seven-game series right now, I’d have OKC sweeping.
But that’s the point I’m trying to make. Just when you think it’s all one way, things often tend to go the other. We all know the Thunder have a considerable advantage coming into tonight’s game. But the Lakers clearly see this as a potential statement type of game, something to put their season on the right track. They don’t necessarily want it more than the Thunder, but they probably do have a bit more motivation.
The Lakers coming in: They last played Tuesday, handling the Hornets in New Orleans.
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Fun quote from KD on Scott Brooks: “He’s not afraid to speak his mind. If I mess up, he’s quick to tell me. He’s got a quick trigger on me. He came in today in front of everybody, looked at me for 10 seconds and said, ‘KD you need a haircut.’”
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Three Big Things
1. Perk. This is where Kendrick Perkins is supposed to earn his paycheck. He has a reputation for being a Dwight Stopper and here’s his first chance to prove it. Well, not first chance as Perk defended Howard terrifically last season, but first chance to prove it as Western Conference foes. Here’s what intrigues me the most though: Can Scott Brooks get away with his smallball lineup tonight? In that, can Serge Ibaka play any kind of effective minutes defending Howard? If he can, the Lakers have no prayer against the Thunder.
2. No Pau. Pau Gasol is out tonight meaning Antawn Jamison will get the start at power forward for the Lakers. Which means Serge Ibaka will have a capable stretch 4 to defend. Jamison is a solid 3-point shooter and will likely be looking to spot up and exploit Ibaka’s tendency to protect the pain over the perimeter.
3. KD’s war on World Peace. In the past, Metta World Peace was known as a guy that could defend Kevin Durant. Now? Not so much at all. Durant has had his way scoring against World Peace and all that physical frustration stuff he used to pull on KD doesn’t seem to work. Russell Westbrook has tortured the Lakers in the past, but Durant is probably the biggest mismatch on the floor.
Tip at 8:30 CT. Go Thundering Thunder.
http://www.dailythunder.com/2012/12/westbrook-and-durant-help-okc-overpower-the-lakers-114-108/
Durant's had 12 straight games of 60%+ TS. His numbers in that span:
29.3 / 7.5 / 4.5 with 1.8 turnovers on 69.7% TS. Crazy!
@justin_mia you can say 70% TS,it is still accurate
@justin_mia u seen anything like this before?
@StretchNeuron Durant's had very hot months before but usually not this early in the season, and the passing has been good.
I feel like Royce is going to post this recap tomorrow. lol
kobe now leads turnovers in lakers all time
@justin_mia Where does one go to find a list of unsigned, available players at this point in the season?
@Thunderucker http://hoopshype.com/free_agency.htm
@justin_mia Justin, that was for Mister, not you. Accidentally forgot to remove your tag.
@justin_mia @MisterJohnsonOKC there's better options than West here. Further, I'd still keep a teachable Maynor (who we know can improve) over a selfish, grizzled vet like West.
@MisterJohnsonOKC @justin_mia heehee, I understand.
any news on the perry jones injury ?
This comment has been deleted
@MisterJohnsonOKC I'd rather him take that shot than post up.
@MisterJohnsonOKC lol. Gotta love it!
Got a postgame to suffice you guys till Royce posts his
http://bit.ly/YWWJ5q
Haha, next caller: Delonte West is a good option and a help to the Lakers.
Man, I wish my franchise was in a place where D. West is a prize. ;)
Holy hell!
@Thunderucker Well, he actually is probably better than Maynor.
@Old Man Game No, because he doesn't listen. Maynor is teachable, D. West is a selfish prick on the court.
@MisterJohnsonOKC @Old Man Game Where does one go to get a list of available players right now? I'd like to see the list and see who else would fit (assuming no trade occurs)
@MisterJohnsonOKC @Old Man Game He can't run an offense (if you're assuming he'd supplant Maynor).
@MisterJohnsonOKC @Old Man Game Oh, C'mon, we're talking about Delonte-Freakin-West
@Old Man Game ...which means he'd look great in a Laker uniform.
Off to the see the the wizard, the wonderful wizard of beer. Ciao.
@Jooseppi We're you sitting on the front row at the Brooklyn game the other night?
@Jooseppi same, looking forward to drunk reading the recap later tonight
OKC playing like the D'Antoni team the last two games. Poorly rated defensive efforts, weak on the boards, lots of points, good 3pt shooting.
@justin_mia The defense was solid through 3 quarters, I thought. Then they begin to get complacent and let LA creep back into it with a lot of open 3s. The Lakers still shot only 43%
@blueRAP 1st half defense wasn't great, mostly due to offensive rebounding. 2nd half defense was great until the last few minutes. Very uneven. The DRTG was 113 which is bad but I thought it was a little better than that - Kobe and Dwight made tough shots.
@blueRAP @justin_mia LA scored 50 at the half. That's not solid D
@RWolverine @justin_mia Yea they could've rebounded better
@justin_mia Can you break that down by the individual lineups?
@Old Man Game Maybe tomorrow... a few too many tonight to do that.
@justin_mia This is what worries me.
@RWolverine Team's been very up and down on defense for the season but the offense has been ridiculously good the last 10 games or so.
Laker caller, "we don't feel like a championship team." No sheet
@Thunderucker Thank you, Robert Langdon from the DaVinci Code.
WTH is Stephen Jackson talking about? He said he doesn't even talk to Artest anymore. LOL
"Somebody tell serg Abaka. He ain't bout dis life. next time he run up on me im goin in his mouth."
:/
@novelisticbee0 well he ain't about that school life
@novelisticbee0 Serge: All my homies back home is some soldiers. Literally. Like, Child soldiers.
@RRRWHATEVER @novelisticbee0 Yeah, these morons acting like Serge grew up in some gated community in the suburbs or something.
@novelisticbee0 Ah yes, "dis life" what life would that be Jack? The life where an idiot shoots a gun outside a strip club or the one where said idiot runs into the stands and starts throwing haymakers?
If manor ever finds his shot the second unit is going to be BEAST.
@PatrickGaryLaMascus Not unless that defense gets better.
@PatrickGaryLaMascus And his passing, and his defense and his ball handling.
Thunder Free Throw defense really showed up tonight. Dwight Howard only went 5-7
Hey, Laker fans, you still have a chance to go 72-10. ;)
Oh wait...
Lakers post game radio filling the air with as many commercials as possible so as to avoid the inevitable negativity.
Just got back from the game. Was Thabeet as bad on TV as he was in person?
@blueRAP I thought he was. Looked more like Thabust than Thabeet the miracle Thunder reclamation project we were getting accustomed to.
@blueRAP He appeared to be spent after he got the technical. I thought Kevin tried to calm him down too much after the T. Kevin needs to realize our bigs can't cruise on automatic pilot like he does between his ego, super ego and id.
Also I take back everything bad I said about WB. BEAST mode in the 1st half
@blueRAP Troll Mode
@blueRAP not his best game