MENU
The Los Angeles Lakers travel to Oklahoma City to take on the Thunder at the latter’s Chesapeake Energy Arena.
The Lakers have fallen outside playoff position at 24-21 on the season as they continue to be without LeBron James. Meanwhile, the Thunder are at 26-17 and in the Top 3 in the Western Conference team standings.
Return of The King Nears
The Los Angeles Lakers have struggled without LeBron James. The Purple and Gold are 4-7 in the 11 games that James has missed since suffering a groin injury during their Christmas day win over the defending champions Golden State Warriors. James has been cleared to practice starting next week and that means that the return of the King is near and his teammates are looking forward to that as they make a final push to make the playoffs.
As a team, the Lakers rank 16th in scoring at 111.3 points per game. Similarly, they are also 16th in the league in scoring defense as they allow their opponents to score 110.4 points per game this season. The Lakers are 15th best passing team in the league with 24.2 assists per game. They are also 5th off the glass with 47.1 rebounds per game.
Los Angeles Lakers vs Oklahoma City Thunder 1/17/19
Moneyline Odds: Lakers +445, Thunder -550
Odds from betonline.ag as of 1/17/19
Three And The Thunder
The Thunder and the number “three” go together at this stage of the season. That’s because the Thunder currently sit at #3 in the Western Conference standings right now behind the Golden State Warriors and the Denver Nuggets. Likewise the Thunder are one of three teams to have winning records at home and on the road. And the success of the Thunder is largely attributed to their Big Three and Russell Westbrook’s triple-double season.
Oklahoma City ranks 9th in both scoring and scoring defense. The Thunder score an average of 113.1 points per game while at the same time giving up 108.2 points per contest. The Thunder are also ranked 23rd in passing at 22.6 assists per game and 2nd in rebounding at 48.3 boards per contest.
Who Wins?
The Lakers are 4-6 SU in their last 10 games played and Los Angeles is 1-2 SU in their last three road games played. The Thunder are 5-5 SU in their last 10 games played and Oklahoma City is 2-2 SU in their last four home games. Head to head, the Thunder are 7-3 SU in their last 10 meetings against the Lakers.
Over the past four weeks or so, we know now that the Lakers are an entirely different team without LeBron James. Los Angeles was among the Top 5 teams in the West after they beat the defending champions Golden State Warriors on Christmas Day but since losing James to a groin injury in that game, they have fallen from grace and are now out of playoff position. James is expected to miss two more games including this one so I’m not sure how the Lakers pull this one off on the road against a Thunder team that is 14-6 at home.
After getting the boos from the crowd in their first encounter, expect another big night from Paul George who was instrumental in the Thunder’s 107-100 win over the Lakers during their first meeting of the season. With OKC playing at full strength here, I’m not giving the Lakers a chance at winning this game. Bill Donovan has two all-star closers at his disposal in PG and Russell Westbrook while none of Luke Walton’s young stars have been able to step up and take over in the absence of King James.
We’re picking the Oklahoma City Thunder to beat the Los Angeles Lakers on 1/17/19.
Other Bets To Make
The Lakers are 3-6-1 ATS in their last 10 games played and 1-2 ATS in their last three road games. The Thunder are 5-5 ATS in their previous 10 outings. Oklahoma City is 2-2 ATS in their last four home games played. Head to head, the Thunder are 6-4 ATS in their last 10 meetings versus the Lakers.
Los Angeles Lakers vs Oklahoma City Thunder 1/17/19
Spread Odds: Lakers +10 (-110), Thunder -10 (-110)
Odds from betonline.ag as of 1/17/19
Los Angeles is 4-1 ATs in their last five road games against teams with a home record of above .600. The Lakers are 2-7-1 ATS in their last 10 games after a win and 2-5-1 ATS in their last 8 games overall . Oklahoma City is 1-4 ATS in their last five games after a double-digit loss and 1-4 ATS in their last five games overall. However, the Thunder are 6-0 ATS in their last six games after putting up 125 or more points in their previous game. They are also 4-1 ATS in their last five games against the Pacific Division. Head to head the Lakers are 5-16 ATS in the last 21 meetings in Oklahoma City. No LeBron, no win for the Lakers here.
Prediction: Thunder -10
The under is 8-2 in the Lakers’ last 10 games played. Los Angeles has seen the under go 3-0 in their last three road games. The total has gone under in five of the Thunder’s last 10 games played. Head to head, the under is 7-3 in the last three meetings between these two teams.
Los Angeles Lakers vs Oklahoma City Thunder 1/17/19
Over/Under Odds: Over 226.5 -110, Under 226.5 -110
Odds from betonline.ag as of 1/17/19
The under is 4-1 in the Lakers’ last five games after scoring more than 100 points in their previous game and the under is 4-1 in the Lakers’ last five road games against teams with a home winning percentage of over .600. The under is also 4-0 in the last four meetings between these two teams and all signs point to that again on Thursday night.
Prediction: Under 226
Miami Heat vs Milwaukee Bucks 04/19/2023 NBA Odds and Prediction
New York Mets vs Los Angeles Dodgers 04/17/2023 MLB Preview and Prediction
Minnesota Twins vs New York Yankees 04/14/2023 MLB Preview and Prediction
OKC Thunder vs New Orleans Pelicans 04/12/2023 NBA Play-in Tournament Odds and Prediction
