Clarkson vs Westbrook
Dec 23, 2015; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook (0) moves to the basket past Los Angeles Lakers guard Jordan Clarkson (6) during the second quarter at Staples Center. Reuters/Robert Hanashiro-USA TODAY Sports

The Los Angeles Lakers (7-7) will host the Oklahoma City Thunder (8-6) at the Staples Center on Tuesday evening. Can Luke Walton's young team avenge the loss suffered earlier in the season?

The Lakers and Thunder will square off for the second time this season. A third and final regular season encounter will take place on Feb. 25 back at the Chesapeake Arena in Oklahoma City.

During their first encounter, Russell Westbrook registered a triple-double (33 points, 16 assists, 11 rebounds) as the Thunder humbled the young Lakers 113-96 to begin the season on a 3-0 winning streak.

Since that last match-up, both coaches have identified respective strengths and weaknesses. The Lakers are playing with a lot more poise, registering wins over quality teams such as Atlanta Hawks and Golden State Warriors.

The Lakers will enter the game on a two-game losing streak, after falling to the San Antonio Spurs and Chicago Bulls on Friday and Sunday respectively. The Thunder, on the other hand, are coming off an unexpected loss to an Indiana Pacers squad sans Paul George.

Westbrook put up his fifth triple-double of the season (31 points, 15 assists, 11 rebounds) but his mighty efforts weren't enough as the Thunder suffered a 115-111 defeat. Despite Westbrook's uncanny ability to stuff the stat sheet, the athletic guard shot 13/34 from the field and blame himself for the loss to Indiana.

"We just weren't ready. Starting with myself. ... I could have did a lot of things better, man. Got to come out and be ready to play. Tonight I felt like I let my guys down all around. I've got to be better," Westbrook said after Sunday's loss to Indiana, via ESPN. It was Thunder's fourth loss in six games, a few days removed from back-to-back wins against Brooklyn and Houston.

Both teams still have a lot of flaws to iron out. But in all fairness, neither team was expected to make much noise at the start of the season. If anything, both teams have overachieved a month into the new season and look to be making progress towards clinching a playoff berth.

Lakers point guard D'Angelo Russell did not practice with the team on Monday and has been listed as 'questionable' for Tuesday's game, according to L.A. Daily News. Russell, nursing a sore knee, had missed Saturday's game against the Spurs before playing just 23 minutes against the Bulls on Monday. Russell struggled to find his shooting rhythm against Chicago, going 3/11 from the field during the 118-110 defeat.

Both teams could desperately use a win here. The Thunder would start as favourites since the Lakers are missing a key player. However, it should be a competitive match and could likely com down to the wire.

Los Angeles Lakers vs Oklahoma City Thunder: Live streaming info and score updates

Watch the game live on NBA League Pass, NBA TV (in Australia or anywhere else in the world), Time Warner Sports Net or Fox Sports (FS Oklahoma) depending on your area in the United States. The game starts at 10:30 PM Eastern Standard Time (7:30 PM PT, 2:30 PM AEDT)

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