We are now in the third week of the NBA season! The Oklahoma City Thunder head to Hollywood to take on the Los Angeles Lakers Thursday night. It's time to continue our NBA odds series with a Thunder-Lakers prediction and pick based on Thunder Lakers odds.
This will already be the second matchup of the season for these two teams. As a matter of fact, the only win of the season for the Thunder came against the Lakers on Oct. 27. The Lakers blew a 26 point lead late in the game to put the Thunder in the win collum for the only time this year. OKC is 1-6 on the year and the LA is 5-3. The Lakers are fresh off of a close win against the Houston Rockets Tuesday night and will look to continue their run tonight. LA is going to be one of the more dominant teams in the league once again. They didn't start out too hot this year but all signs lead toward them competing for a championship this season. As for tonight, look for Westbrook to play extremely well against his former club.
Here’s how the bookmakers have set the Thunder-Lakers odds for this Thursday night matchup.
NBA Odds: Thunder-Lakers Odds
Oklahoma City Thunder: +13 (-110)
Los Angeles Lakers: -13 (-110)
Over: 215 (-108)
Under: 215 (-112)
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Why The Thunder Could Cover The Spread
This is a large spread for a team that has already defeated the Lakers. For many who watched that game, the Lakers did look completely dominant for the first 36 minutes. A big collapse allowed for a fourth-quarter meltdown, but LA was without LeBron James. It's going to be interesting to see how these two teams run at each other this time out. LeBron is back in the lineup and should play this time around for LA, which clearly makes it more difficult for the Thunder.
OKC is led by rising star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander who is off to a great start this season. He's taken over the star role in OKC and will get another chance to play against former Thunder star Russell Westbrook. If OKC wants to keep this game close then they will need to rely on Gilgeous-Alexander to lead them. They don't really have anyone else who has proven to do so. If the Lakers stay healthy for most of the game it's going to be tough for OKC to keep it close. I don't think there will be another fourth-quarter collapse to turn the game around completely.
Why The Lakers Could Cover The Spread
The Lakers are capable of covering any spread handed out against them this season. This team is stacked with veterans who clearly have one thing in mind … winning another ring. Lebron James, Anthony Davis, Russell Westbrook, Carmelo Anthony, Deondre Jordan, Dwight Howard, Rajon Rondo, Avery Bradley … the list goes on. This team is in a perfect position to win the Western Conference but health will be the major factor for the rest of the season. If everyone is healthy for tonight then I expect them to cover the spread.
The game could stay close for a majority of it but the Lakers' roster is just too much better than OKC. If the Lakers don't pull away late in the game and extend their lead past 13 points then they are having an off night. We all know how LeBron can control a game, and lately, he's been trying to get Westbrook and AD involved more often than not. This team will only continue to see success if Carmelo Anthony values his role off the bench. This club has the experience and clearly the talent to beat anyone. For Thursday night, they should have no problem handling their business.
Final Thunder-Lakers Prediction & Pick
I expect the Lakers to find a way to cover this 13-point spread. They won't blow a huge lead again, especially with James on the court. There is still a long way to go in the season but a dominant win like this against a team you know you are supposed to beat is a great momentum builder at this point in the season. I expect the Lakers' defense to play better this time around, so I don't see the Thunder putting up over 120 points again. Although, the over/under is lower than I expected it to be so I would take the over as well. The last matchup hit over 215 points and so I think it will hit once again.
FINAL LAKERS-THUNDER PREDICTION & PICK: Lakers -13 (-110) & Over: 215 (-108)
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