Oklahoma City Thunder vs Los Angeles Lakers: Prediction, Starting Lineups, Odds (2/7/23)

The Oklahoma City Thunder visit the Los Angeles Lakers in a Western Conference clash. The Thunder are coming off a blowout at home against the Rockets, while the Lakers are coming off a close road loss to the Pelicans. This should be an interesting matchup overall, and LeBron is still chasing history too. Let’s take a look at the odds and make some picks and predictions for this game!

Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Los Angeles Lakers Betting Odds

The Los Angeles Lakers are 7.5-point home favorites against the Oklahoma City Thunder and are at -305 on the money line. There’s also no over/under listed just yet. The Lakers being favored makes sense because they’re at home and LeBron has a chance to break the scoring record in this game, so that’s another motivating factor. The over/under should be high because both teams are very good on offense. This spread should stay where it’s at before tip-off.

Oklahoma City vs. Los Angeles Lakers Prediction

The pick: Los Angeles Lakers -7.5

The Lakers have been okay this year at best, but also very bad at worst. LeBron James is still the best player the Lakers have at 38 and leads the team in points and rebounds per game on the season. Anthony Davis and Russell Westbrook are next in production and while Davis has been just as dominant as LeBron, Westbrook has been inconsistent. Despite the inconsistency, Westbrook leads the team in assists and steals per game for the season. Lonnie Walker IV has been very good recently too and has been productive when needed.

As a team, the Lakers excel more on offense than on defense. They are top-10 in points scored and top-10 in field goal percentage. They are top five in rebounds per game at 45 rebounds per game for the season.

On the other side, the Thunder have been much better this year than they have been recently. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is a star and leads the team in scoring, steals, and blocks per game for the season. Josh Giddey is a very good second option and leads the team in rebounds and assists per game for the season. Luguentz Dort and Jalen Williams are decent options behind those two also.

As a team, the Thunder are solid offense and defense. They are top five in scoring at 117.3, but are also top-10 in rebounds and blocks per game for the season.

The Lakers are the play here at home because of all the attention surrounding the record and LeBron. If he doesn’t break it in this game, he’ll break next, but because of all that hype, they’re the play. The focus is on the Lakers and they should be ready to go and pull away from a decent team late.

Betting Trends

Thunder are 6-0 ATS in their last 6 Tuesday games.

Lakers are 6-1 ATS in their last 7 games playing on 2 days rest.

Key Matchups

Can Jalen Williams matchup with LeBron James? Can Dennis Schroder matchup with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander?

LeBron James vs. Jalen Williams

LeBron has been his usual dominant self this year even at 38. He averages 30 points, 7 assists, and 9 rebounds per game for the season. He’ll be matched up against Jalen Williams, who averages 12 points, 3 assists, and 4 rebounds per game for the season. LeBron is marching towards history and has a decent rookie going up against him here. This matchup is big because Williams is all that’s standing between LeBron and the record.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander vs. Dennis Schroder

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has been great this year for the Thunder. He averages 31 points, 6 assists, and 5 rebounds per game for the season. He’ll be matched up against Dennis Schroder, who averages 12 points, 4 assists, and 3 rebounds per game for the season. Gilgeous-Alexander has been almost unstoppable for the Thunder this year, but Schroder has been very good on defense. This will be a big matchup to decide who wins because each player is their team’s engine that makes them go on offense.

Oklahoma City Thunder Starting Lineup

PG: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
SG: Josh Giddey
SF: Isaiah Joe
PF: Jalen Williams
C: Jaylin Williams

Los Angeles Lakers Starting Lineups

PG: Dennis Schroder
SG: Patrick Beverley
SF: LeBron James
PF: Rui Hachimura
C: Anthony Davis

Key Injuries

Oklahoma City Thunder Injuries: SG Luguentz Dort (Hamstring) O, C Chet Holmgren (Foot) O

Los Angeles Lakers Injuries: SG Austin Reaves (Hamstring) Q