Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Los Angeles Lakers Prediction, NBA Odds

Nik Kowalski | Updated Mar 24, 2023

Can OKC end their three-game visit to L.A. with a win against the Lakers on Friday night?

AT
March 24, 2023, 10:30 PM ET
Staples Center
L.A. Lakers
43-39
Pointspread +3.5 -110
Moneyline +132
Over / Under o +230.5

41%

Betting Action

59%

Pointspread -3.5 -110
Moneyline -158
Over / Under u +230.5

41%

Betting Action

59%

Each with nine games remaining, the Oklahoma City Thunder and Los Angeles Lakers find themselves tied in the standings ahead of their meeting Friday night. Their 36-37 records has both teams in the Western Conference’s play-in spots, but also tied with 11th place New Orleans — the first team outside of the West’s playoff picture.

Both clubs have been playing strong basketball of late. Prior to Thursday’s loss against the Los Angeles Clippers, the Thunder had won eight of their last 10 games. The Lakers have won two straight outings, which has given them a rare chance to get back to .500.

Tip-off at Crypto.com Arena is set for 10:30 p.m. ET. The Lakers are 6.0-point favourites to win, while the total is 230.5 on the NBA odds.

Thunder vs. Lakers NBA Betting Odds

With seven wins and four losses, the Lakers have had a solid March. They opened the month by beating the Thunder 123-117 on March 1. The win tied the season series between the teams after the Thunder won their first bout on February 7 by a score of 133-130. Head-to-head OKC is 7-1 ATS in their last eight meetings with the Lakers in L.A. Nine of the Lakers last 11 home games have finished under the total.

The Thunder are now 14-22 on the road this season but covered in eight of their last 11 road games. Six of L.A.’s last eight home games have went under.

Oklahoma City Thunder

It’s probably a good thing Oklahoma City has a short turnaround to forget Thursday’s loss against the NBA’s other L.A. team. The Thunder fell 127-105 against the Clippers, a massive difference from their previous meeting two days ago when they won 101-100. The Thunder have now given up 120 points in three of their last four outings.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the Thunder with 30 points on Thursday and now has scored at least 30 in eight of his last nine games. Lu Dort’s offensive woes got even worse on Thursday, as the Thunder’s third-highest scorer this season went one-for-11 from the field, two nights after shooting three-for-11. If Dort can get out of this funk, OKC has a good shot against the Lakers.

Los Angeles Lakers

Friday is L.A.’s fourth-last home game this season, and an advantage they need to capitalize on. The Lakers are above .500 (20-17) on home court this year and have started out this stretch of four consecutive home games with a pair of victories. L.A. last took the court on Wednesday when they defeated Phoenix 122-111 in a game that the saw Lakers shoot 46 free throws.

Anthony Davis and Austin Reaves continued to lead the charge on offence, with Davis registering a team-high 27 points and nine rebounds and Reaves a double-double with 25 points and 11 assists. The Lakers have been a top-10 field goal shooting team this season and lived up that hype Wednesday, going 55.7 per cent from the field.

NBA Prediction: Who Will Win Thunder vs. Lakers?

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