The Lakers are back at home and will face the current number 1 in the Western Conference, the Oklahoma City Thunder. This is the first time these two teams will face each other this season and the final NBA Cup game for the purple and gold.

Start time and TV program

WHO: Los Angeles Lakers vs. Oklahoma City Thunder

When: 7:00 p.m. PT, November 29th

Where: Crypto.com Arena

Regard: ESPN, Spectrum SportsNet

---

After embarrassingly losing their first NBA Cup game to the Phoenix Suns, the Lakers made the necessary adjustment and inserted rookie Dalton Knecht into the starting lineup for Cam Reddish in the following game against the San Antonio Spurs. It was the fourth lineup change in 18 games this season that favored the offense.

With the 23-year-old Knecht back in the starting lineup, the Lakers began the game in San Antonio with a 17-4 run that gave them the lead from start to finish. It was easily one of the Lakers’ best wins of the season.

The early returns on this starting unit are already better than the previous and previous ones. However, the question now becomes whether this is finally the starting lineup that will see JJ Redick moving forward.

Four lineup changes is a lot, especially in an 18-game span of the season, but it’s better to experiment and get answers now rather than later. The best part is that LA is currently doing this while sitting in fifth place in the Western Conference, a better spot compared to this time last year.

Before the Lakers’ six-game winning streak was ended, Knecht was averaging 19.7 points on 48% three-point shooting as a starter. He proved he was fully capable of getting into the lineup and even raised the ceiling by taking over the role from Rui Hachimura, who was recovering from a left ankle injury.

But you can argue back then that the Lakers weren’t playing against inferior teams like the Denver Nuggets or even the Suns. So Friday’s game against OKC will be a good test to see how this starting unit with Dalton stacks up against a key rival and whether or not this is actually the best starting unit yet.

A win would go a long way

The three-game losing streak has moved the Lakers from third place in the Western Conference to fifth place, which isn’t bad considering how competitive this conference is. But as we’ve seen in recent weeks, just one or two losses are enough for the Lakers to drop into the play-in category, something they should avoid as much as possible.

With a win against OKC on Friday, the Lakers can bounce back from their recent losing streak and potentially stay atop the league. It will also be nice to win the first game against this Thunder team, against which the Lakers won the match last season (3-1).

Without Chet Holmgren and Alex Caruso in the Thunder lineup, the purple-and-gold should take advantage of the holes in their frontcourt. The Lakers offense will need to be firing on all cylinders against this league-ranked Thunder defense.

LA should know that this OKC team is full of young, fast players who like to punish their opponents with turnovers and running in transition. The Lakers have to play their best home game in this game.

The implications of the NBA Cup are at stake

In addition to the importance of the win for the standings, this game is an NBA Cup game for both LA and OKC, meaning the former must win if they want to advance from the group.

Since the Lakers lost to the Suns by 27 points and their point differential is now -16, the only realistic way for LA to advance is if they win their game against OKC and if the Spurs beat the Suns on the road.

But if the Suns emerge victorious over the Spurs and the Lakers win, Los Angeles will miss their chance to advance. The point difference system won’t help them unless they beat the Thunder by a significant margin.

Suffice it to say, the Lakers’ hopes of defending their NBA Cup title are no longer in control. Still, Friday’s game against the Thunder should be crucial in terms of the long-term outcome and flow, such as deciding whether or not this starting lineup is one to stick with going forward.

Let’s see how the Lakers face the best team in the conference on Friday.

Notes and updates

• The Lakers’ injury report lists Anthony Davis (left plantar fasciitis) and Dalton Knecht (right quadriceps contusion) as probable.
• Jaxson Haynes (right ankle sprain) is questionable, while Jarred Vanderbilt (returns from right foot surgery), Christian Wood (returns from left knee surgery) and Bronny James Jr. (left heel contusion) are out.
• As for OKC, Chet Holmgren (right humerus), Alex Caruso (right hip strain), Ousmane Dieng (right finger fracture), Nikola Topic (left knee surgery) and Jaylin Williams (right hamstring strain) are out.
• We’ll be live on playback for this game, so be sure to join us!

You can follow Nicole on Twitter at @nicoleganglanI.