The Los Angeles Lakers and Oklahoma City Thunder will provide the marquee match-up for the NBA on Friday night with several stars showcased on a national stage. However the Lakers find themselves down one significant offensive force for yet another game as Pau Gasol was pronounced out for tonight's contest and possibly beyond.

Gasol has been dealing with tendinitis in both of his knees and it's been a frustrating season so far for the forward. This will be Gasol's third game missed, but Lakers head coach Mike D'Antoni said he's not coming back tonight and could even miss a few more games.

"He's not ready yet," said D'Antoni. "He's getting better. Just like (Steve) Nash, I don't know what that means. Maybe (Gasol will return) Sunday, Monday or next week. I don't know. As soon as he gets able to play, then he'll go. That can be any day."

Currently the Lakers are struggling at 9-10 and a statement win on the road at Oklahoma City would be a major boost to the team's momentum. However, they're going to have to do so without Gasol's contributions. The Thunder are 15-4.