Friday night will feature the Lakers vs. Thunder live stream and televised matchup from Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City. The latest basketball matchup features one of the top NBA MVP favorites in Russell Westbrook, but OKC Thunder fans will be anxious to see if his new teammates show up and a recent trade pays off. After dealing away their top scorer this past week the Los Angeles Lakers will hope that their young trio of stars continues their improvement towards the future.

OKC's new roster members

Just ahead of Thursday's NBA trade deadline, the Oklahoma City Thunder pulled off a deal with the Chicago Bulls.

In the transaction, OKC sent Cameron Payne, Anthony Morrow, and Joffrey Auvergne to the Chicago Bulls. In exchange, the Thunder not only got a 2017 second-round draft pick, but the Bulls' talented front court player Taj Gibson and sharpshooting forward Doug McDermott.

Unfortunately for fans, ESPN is reporting that it's unlikely Gibson or McDermott will suit up for tonight's game or appear on the court. However, the team returns to action on NBA TV this Sunday for a matchup with the New Orleans Pelicans and their newest star DeMarcus Cousins. It's possible OKC fans will finally get a look at Gibson and/or McDermott for this game.

At 32-25 overall, the Thunder are second in the Northwest Division and are No.

7 in the Western Conference. The Denver Nuggets are about seven games back at the No. 8 spot as of this report, with Sacramento, Portland, New Orleans, and Dallas all hoping to surge into the top eight for the West.

Oklahoma City has gone just 4-6 over their last 10 and with less than half the season remaining, they'll look to get every win they can to improve their postseason chances.

New-look Lakers?

A new era has officially started for a young Lakers roster. Not only did the team trade away their top scorer, veteran Lou Williams, but they also brought in former Lakers star Magic Johnson to guide the ship. This will be the team's first game without Williams, giving Magic and the L.A. faithful a look at what to expect.

With Williams' departure, the team will now look towards their young future stars. Among them will be point guard D'Angelo Russell who averages 14.2 points, 4.7 assists, and 3.8 rebounds per contest. Russell has just a year of experience in the league but seems to be improving each campaign. In addition, big man Julius Randle and last year's lottery pick Brandon Ingram will look to pick up slack on the team going forward.

At 19-39 this team isn't expected to make the NBA Playoffs. However, they are considered one of the potential teams to land a top three draft pick this summer. That could mean a talented guard such as UCLA's Lonzo Ball, or Markelle Fultz, or small forward Josh Jackson from Kansas.

How to watch live

Tonight's Lakers vs. Thunder game gets started at 8 p.m. Eastern Time from Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City. The game will be televised on Fox Sports Net in the Oklahoma City region or Spectrum Sportsnet in select other regions of the country.

Radio coverage includes WWLS 98.1FM in OKC and 710 AM ESPN for fans who want to hear the play-by-play.

To watch the Lakers vs. Thunder live stream online, fans in those regions can check out their Fox Sports Go website or compatible apps. There's also NBA League Pass subscription service. This service offers fans a chance to buy a pass to watch games for their team, all teams, or even individual games each night to watch live streaming online. More information is available at the NBA.com website.
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