Los Angeles Lakers vs. Oklahoma City Thunder Prediction, NBA Odds
The pair of games are crucial for the Lakers, who enter Sunday in third place in the West but only 1.5 games up on the conference play-in spots. OKC already has first place clinched, but these matchups can certainty act as tone-setters with the post-season looming. The Thunder had an 11-game win streak snapped on Friday at Houston so the motivation for the Thunder will also entail not limping into the playoffs. These two bouts are the final regular season home games for the Thunder.
Tip-off at Paycom Center goes at 3:30 p.m. EDT with the Thunder an 8.5-point favourite on the point spread and the over-under at 233.5 on the NBA odds.
Lakers vs. Thunder NBA Betting Odds
The Lakers have had recent success against the Thunder, with L.A. winning and covering in five of these teams’ last seven meetings. OKC picked up a 101-93 win in their only other meeting so far this season however, coming back on November 29. Seven of the last eight Lakers-Thunders contests played in OKC have finished over the total. The Lakers come in having gone over in six of their last seven road outings overall too.
The Thunder have steadily been one of the NBA’s top scoring clubs, ranking third in the league with 120.3 points per game. L.A. sits in the middle of the league but the Luka Doncic acquisition has certainly boosted those numbers as of late; in five of the last six Lakers outings they’ve hit at least 115 points. Sunday’s team total for the Lakers is set at 111.5 points.
Los Angeles Lakers
There’s some sort of a big three forming in L.A.: the trio of Luka Doncic, LeBron James, and Austin Reaves combined for 92 points in Friday’s 124-108 win over New Orleans and continues to prove that when these three are on, the Lakers are extremely tough to beat. Reaves coming on offensively is the key though as he’s now scored 30 points in four of the Lakers last five games. Reaves has also hit 15 threes in the Lakers last two games — a franchise record.
Slow starts have hurt L.A. lately though. They’ve trailed after the first quarter in three straight games and Doncic missed his first seven shots from the field in Sunday’s win. The Thunder possess a top-two defence in points allowed, making the opening frame even more important.
Oklahoma City Thunder
The 11-game win streak is over for OKC after a discouraging loss at Houston on Friday night. Houston sits in between Oklahoma City and L.A. in the West standings, and in a battle between the top two clubs in the conference, the Thunder didn’t show up. OKC trailed by 23 points in the first half, so the 125-111 final score made the result look a look prettier for the Thunder.
Despite having first place clinched in the West, the Thunder are still rolling with their star players ahead of the playoffs. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 22 points on Friday, marking his 70th-straight 20-point game which moves him past Michael Jordan for the fourth-longest single-season streak in NBA history. Chet Holmgren also drained a career-high six threes on Friday, which is something to keep an eye on in this mini-series against the Lakers.
LAL
OKC