The Oklahoma City Thunder will take on the Los Angeles Lakers at 10:30 p.m. ET on Thursday at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. The Lakers are 5-3 overall and 4-2 at home, and are coming in off a 119-117 win over the Houston Rockets, their third victory in a row, on Tuesday. The Thunder are 1-6 overall and 0-4 on the road, and are in the midst of a two-game losing streak. Los Angeles is 2-6 and Oklahoma City is 3-4 against the spread in 2021. LeBron James (abdomen) has been ruled out for the Lakers.
The Lakers are favored by 14 points in the latest Lakers vs. Thunder odds from Caesars Sportsbook, and the over-under is set at 216.5. Before making any Thunder vs. Lakers picks, you need to see the NBA predictions and betting advice from the red-hot simulation model at SportsLine.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every NBA game 10,000 times and has returned almost $9,000 in profit on its top-rated NBA picks over the past three-plus seasons. The model finished up almost $600 on its top-rated picks last season and enters Week 3 of the 2021-22 NBA season on a stunning 106-71 roll on top-rated NBA picks against the spread. Anyone following it has seen huge returns.
Now, the model has set its sights on Lakers vs. Thunder and just locked in its NBA picks today. You can head to SportsLine now to see all of the model’s NBA picks. Now, here are several NBA betting lines and trends for Lakers vs. Thunder:
- Lakers vs. Thunder spread: Lakers -14
- Lakers vs. Thunder over-under: 216 points
- Lakers vs. Thunder moneyline: Lakers -1100, Thunder +700
Featured Game | Los Angeles Lakers vs. Oklahoma City Thunder
What you need to know about the Lakers
It was a close one, but on Tuesday the Lakers sidestepped the Houston Rockets for a 119-117 win. Los Angeles’ success was spearheaded by the efforts of small forward LeBron James, who posted a double-double on 30 points and ten assists, and point guard Russell Westbrook, who had 27 points and seven assists along with nine boards.
Los Angeles is unquestionably the more talented team in this matchup, but may opt to rest several veteran players if they jump out to a comfortable lead. If that happens, the spread will surely be in question late in the fourth quarter. The Lakers will be without James for this matchup. Look for Westbrook to be highly motivated as he takes on the franchise he spent his 11 NBA seasons with.
What you need to know about the Thunder
Meanwhile, Oklahoma City was within striking distance but couldn’t close the gap on Monday as they fell 99-94 to the Los Angeles Clippers. Point guard Theo Maledon wasn’t much of a difference maker for the Thunder; Maledon finished with only seven points on 3-for-10 shooting in his 28 minutes on the court.
Oklahoma City has only been able to knock down 41.10% percent of their shots, which is the second lowest field goal percentage in the league. To realistically have a chance at upsetting the Lakers (even without James on the floor), OKC will need to knock down shots at a much higher clip than they have done all season. Point guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander leads the Thunder in scoring at 22.9 points per game.
How to make Thunder vs. Lakers picks
The model has simulated Lakers vs. Thunder 10,000 times and the results are in. We can tell you that the model is leaning under on the point total, and it’s also generated a point-spread pick that is hitting in almost 70 percent of simulations. You can only see the model’s Lakers vs. Thunder pick at SportsLine.
So who wins Lakers vs. Thunder? And which side of the spread hits in almost 70 percent of simulations? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the Hawks vs. Nets spread you need to jump on Thursday, all from the model that has crushed its NBA picks, and find out.
