Los Angeles Lakers vs. Oklahoma City Thunder Prediction, NBA Odds
Two of the NBA’s hottest teams meet up in Oklahoma City on Thursday when the reigning NBA champion and current Western Conference-leading Thunder host the Los Angeles Lakers at 9:30 p.m. ET.
Both teams have gone 9-1 in their past 10 games, as the top of the West has become an absolute slaughterhouse. Current No. 2 seed San Antonio has won 10 straight, and No. 4 seed Denver has gone 8-2 in its last 10 games – so neither the Thunder nor the Lakers can let up.
Los Angeles has won four straight and 16 of 18 to jump up the standings. The Lakers just concluded a 3-0 homestand with a 127-113 trouncing of Cleveland on Wednesday. They have also won five of six on the road.
The Thunder have won three straight and 15 of 16 to become the first team in the league with 60 wins. However, they are still just two games ahead of the Spurs, so don’t expect any letup in the final two weeks of the regular season.
Lakers vs. Thunder NBA Betting Odds
Despite Los Angeles’s impressive recent run, it is a decided 8.5-point underdog on the NBA odds, with a +265 moneyline.
The Thunder are currently sitting -330 on the moneyline, and the game is set at 227 points.
Luka Doncic, the NBA’s leading scorer, averaged 37.5 points in 16 games in March. He is listed at -110 to score more than 32.5 points this evening.
Los Angeles Lakers
Except for reserve guard Marcus Smart (9.5 PPG, 1.4 STL), the Lakers come into Thursday’s contest healthy and poised to continue their hot streak. Doncic returned from a one-game suspension against the Cavaliers and had 42 points and 12 assists. It was his 16th game of 40 points or more this season, as he makes a bid for the league’s MVP award.
Oklahoma City Thunder
The reigning holder of that award, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, is not going anywhere. He had 47 in OKC’s 114-110 overtime victory over Eastern Conference-leading Detroit on Wednesday, and has now scored at least 20 points in an NBA-record 136 straight games.
Alex Caruso is questionable for Thursday’s contest with an illness. Jalen Williams and Isaiah Hartenstein are both day-to-day due to injury management.
NBA Prediction: Who Will Win Lakers vs. Thunder?
Oklahoma City has already won the first two games of this four-game season series, taking a 121-92 decision at home in November and a 119-110 result in L.A. in February.
Doncic was stifled for just 19 points in the November defeat, and neither he nor SGA played in the February matchup. This is a showcase game for the two biggest scorers in the league, so expect fireworks.
As good as the Lakers are playing lately, it’s still hard to take them seriously as a threat in the West with all the other firepower at the top of the standings. Thursday is the night they can take a big step forward in the conversation of which teams are legitimate threats to the Thunder for the title this year.
Look for Los Angeles to show well, but ultimately come up short in a 122-118 defeat as SGA shows why he is still the overwhelming favourite to win the MVP award again this season.
LAL
OKC