Western Conference heavyweights Oklahoma City Thunder and the Los Angeles Lakers will face off for the second time in three days at the PayCom Center on Wednesday.
The home side will be looking to avoid suffering three defeats on the bounce for the first time this term while the visitors go in search of a third straight victory.
Match preview
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Aiming to bounce back from a defeat to the Houston Rockets, the Oklahoma City Thunder had an opportunity to deliver a huge statement of intent against the Lakers but ended up on the receiving end of a 126-99 drubbing.
Typically one of the league's best shooting teams, Mark Daigneault's men were blitzed from beyond the arc, giving up 10 more three-pointers than they scored (12), while also knocking down just 43% of their shots overall.
Since winning 11 games on the bounce between March 13 and April 3, the Thunder have now lost back-to-back games which have jeopardised their chances of becoming the first team since the 2016 Warriors to win 70 out of their 82 games.
Nonetheless, the Thunder remain well ahead at the top of the Western Conference standings, a whopping 12 wins clear of the nearest challengers, the Houston Rockets, who have also played one game more.
Off the back of Sunday's horror show, the Thunder have the opportunity to set things right against the same opponents, but their record in this fixture is a cause for concern following eight defeats from the last 11 meetings.
Taking to their home court for their final regular-season home outing, the home side will be looking to sign off on a high before embarking on a three-game road trip against the Phoenix Suns, Utah Jazz and New Orleans Pelicans.
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Less than 48 hours after seeing off the Pelicans in a 124-108 triumph at Crypto.com Arena, the Lakers had a short turnaround for their trip to Oklahoma but showed no signs of fatigue en route to a dominant victory.
JJ Redick's men are the first team to beat the Thunder in all four quarters of a game this term and will now set out to become just the third to end the campaign with a winning record against the conference leaders alongside the Dallas Mavericks and the Golden State Warriors.
Tallying his 13th 30-point game as a Laker, floor general Luka Doncic now has 65 points across his last two appearances and will be keen to end the season on a high ahead of his first playoffs in Purple and Gold.
Sitting third in the West at the moment with a 48-30 record, the Lakers are set for a mouth-watering clash against the Golden State Warriors at the moment, but with four matches left, so much could still change given how tightly packed the standings are.
Having beaten the Memphis Grizzlies and the Thunder in their two most recent outings on the road, Wednesday's visitors will now be looking to make it three away wins in a row for the first time since early February.
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Team News
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Nikola Topic and Ajay Mitchell are both guaranteed absentees for the Oklahoma City Thunder through knee and toe injuries respectively, with the former ruled out for the remainder of the season.
Ousmane Dieng (calf), Alex Ducas (quadriceps) and Jaylin Williams (ankle) will also miss out for the home side, but Isaiah Joe is back in contention, having shaken off an injury concern to feature last time out.
Maxi Kleber has progressed to on-court activities and is nearing a comeback from a foot problem, although Wednesday's game is expected to come too soon for the Germany international.
After missing the visitors' clash against the Pelicans, Rui Hachimura returned to the fold against the Thunder and should retain his place in the starting lineup here.
Indiana Pacers possible starting five:
Gilgeous-Alexander, Dort; Williams, Holmgren; Hartenstein
Los Angeles Lakers possible starting five:
Doncic, Reaves; James, Hachimura; Hayes
We say: Thunder to win by 6+ points
The Thunder were left red-faced at the sound of the final buzzer last time out, but we expect them to bounce back and claim a dominant triumph in this one.
Adepoju Marvellous
