OKC Thunder -Lakers availability: Schroder, Ferguson, Muscala out, LeBron, AD will play

As the OKC Thunder prepares for the Los Angeles Lakers the pre-game notes update on roster availability.

The Los Angeles Lakers and LeBron James await as the OKC Thunder prepares for their next ‘seeding’ game in the Disney bubble. This is the third of eight OKC seeding games.

Heading into the game tonight the team updated on which players will be available. Although two were expected, the third was questionable.

OKC Thunder update on availability for Lakers game

First is Dennis Schroder who as we know left the bubble to join his wife Ellen as she delivered just about the cutest baby girl I’ve ever seen. There hasn’t been an update on specifically how long Dennis will be out. Schroder did say his intentions were to return and since there is time for him to spend with his wife little boy and new little girl why not enjoy some family time.

Upon his return to the bubble, it’s also not known if he’ll be required to spend four days in quarantine since the NBA has said they’ll address the exits and returns on an individual basis. That said, most approved exits have resulted in four-day quarantine.

With six seeding games to play (including tonight’s Lakers match) there is time for Schroder to return and be back without missing any playoff games. The final seeding game for the Thunder is on August 14th versus the Clippers.

The first round of the playoffs is set to start on August 17th. I’d expect Schroder to return next week, and that’s not me being selfish — all indications were Schroder was excited to be with his wife AND excited to return and play in the playoffs.

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The other players who won’t be available today are Mike Muscala who hit the court really hard sustaining a concussion and is now in the concussion protocol program. Adding insult to injury, the player who drove the basket and ran into Muscala mid-air was former (for a cup of coffee) Thunder player P.J. Dozier.

Terrance Ferguson is also out again with a leg contusion.

As for the Lakers, Rachel Nichols updated on The Jump that Frank Vogel said LeBron James and Anthony Davis will play and play their “typical minutes”.

This is an interesting revelation as the injury report listed both Anthony Davis (right ankle sprain) and LeBron James (groin) both as questionable for the game.

Alex Caruso (back) was also listed as questionable and Dwight Howard as out.

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