NBA Handicapping Predictions – Thunder vs Lakers
TNT starts off with a rematch of the NBA Finals from last year on Thursday night, and they’ll finish the night with a matchup of two of the top teams in the Western Conference this year.
NBA Basketball Matchup: Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Los Angeles Lakers
10:30 PM EST on TNT
NBA Gambling Odds from Bovada
NBA Betting Favorite: Lakers -1
Over/Under: 201
Oklahoma City has had the best record in the West all year long, but the Lakers are 20-4 at home this season.
Can Kobe and the Lakers stop Oklahoma City’s four-game winning streak?
Oklahoma City looks like a well-oiled machine right now, especially on the offensive end.
The Thunder have scored 103 points or more in nine of their last ten games.
Kevin Durant averages 27.8 points per game. Durant is also averaging a career-high 8.1 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game. Russell Westbrook is pouring in 24.2 points per game, and he is shooting a career-high 47.5% from the floor.
James Harden is sometimes overlooked, but he is a vital third scorer for this team. Harden averaged 12 points per game last year, but he averages 17.3 points per game this season. Oklahoma City shoots 80% from the free throw line, and that wins them a lot of close contests. [soliloquy id=”82219″]
The Lakers haven’t had the season some expected them to have thus far. Los Angeles ranks 17th in the NBA in points per game. Kobe Bryant leads the league in scoring at 28.3 points per game, but hi field goal percentage is down to 42.9%. Ramon Sessions was brought in at the trade deadline, and he has helped the offense a great deal in the past week or so.
Sessions is averaging 13.3 points per game in a Lakers uniform. Andrew Bynum is having a career year on the inside, and the team needs to get him the ball as often as possible. Bynum is averaging 18.2 points and 12.2 boards per game. Pau Gasol’s numbers are down a bit from last year, but he still averages a double-double. The Lakers are one of the best rebounding teams in the NBA.
Opponents are shooting just 42.8% from the floor against the Lakers.
The Lakers haven’t looked good in their last two outings, and I like the Thunder in this one. Oklahoma City is playing with a ton of confidence right now.
Prediction: Oklahoma City 103 Los Angeles 100
