The Los Angeles Lakers are back on the court Tuesday night and their favorable home schedule in the early season gives them yet another advantage heading into their game against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
The Thunder played a grinder last night against the Los Angeles Clippers, where they lost 90-88 in part thanks to a late replay challenge by head coach Doc Rivers. The Thunder are definitely a tougher squad than the Atlanta Hawks team that just did the same back-to-back, so the Lakers must be prepared for a much more put-together professional team.
LeBron’s best bud Chris Paul and second year guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander make up a phenomenal backcourt on both ends of the floor, which has helped the Thunder post an above-average defense even after losing Paul George in the summer. Steven Adams can still anchor the defense and will be a formidable foe for the Lakers centers in the middle. Danilo Gallinari also gives them a solid option on the wing to score.
However, the biggest issue the Thunder have, as they showed against the Clippers, is a sluggish offense. Even though they have Adams, they’re not a good offensive rebounding team and they currently play at the No. 25 slowest-pace in the league.
The Lakers have done their job over the first month of the season, beefing up on a favorable schedule and getting a few teams at home on the second night of a back-to-back. While the Thunder are a much more professional unit than the one the Lakers faced Sunday against Atlanta, While it will be tougher, The Lakers should continue the trend of taking care of business against overmatched opponents.
