Derek Fisher returns to LA as a member of the Thunder as Oklahoma City tries to extend its lead in the West at the expense of the Lakers in NBA betting action Thursday night.
The Lakers have won three of four and eight of 11 to pull into third place in the West, seven games behind the Thunder. Kevin Durant and company has lost 11 of 12 recent trips to face the Lakers.
The Lakers sit at 31-19 (21-29 ATS) on the season; in comparison, the Thunder are currently 38-12 (28-22 ATS). Looking to wager on the totals? Los Angeles is 28-22 OU, and Oklahoma City is 26-24 OU.
View Oklahoma City vs LA Lakers Odds and Stats.
Betting Line:
Sportsbooks set the Lakers as 1-point favorites on the Sportsbook line for this contest (at Sportsbook). The total was listed at 201, but may be on the move after some action at Sportsbook.
Power Rankings / Prediction:
The Odds Shark Power Rankings have the Lakers at No. 5 and the Thunder at No. 4 heading into this contest. Handicapping models run by the computers at Odds Shark project a 104-100 result in favor of the Thunder.
How They Match Up:
Offensively, the game matches up Los Angeles's No. 17-ranked offense (96 PPG) against a Thunder defense that ranks No. 18 at 97.2 PPG. The Lakers have averaged 45.6% from the field per game, less than the Thunder have managed so far this season (47.8% on average).
Defensively, the Thunder feature the league's No. 15-rated defense on the road, allowing 97.2 points per game. Los Angeles, meanwhile, comes in at No. 16 in the league in scoring at home.
Oklahoma City won its last outing, a 109-95 result against the Trail Blazers on March 27. The Thunder covered in that game as a 4.5-point favorite, while the 204 combined points took the game OVER the total. Portland was victimized by Russell Westbrook for 32 points as the Thunder defeated the Trail Blazers 109-95 in NBA action on Tuesday.
The Lakers were a 104-101 Sportsbook in their most recent outing on the road against the Warriors. They failed to cover the 8-point spread as favorites, while the total score (205) made Sportsbooks of OVER bettors. The Warriors were burned for 30 points by Kobe Bryant on Tuesday as the Lakers picked up a 104-101 win at Oracle Arena.
Oklahoma City Thunder Trends:
When playing on Thursday are 8-2
Before playing Chicago are 3-7
After playing Portland are 6-4
After a win are 5-5
Los Angeles Lakers Trends:
When playing on Thursday are 9-1
Before playing New Orleans are 7-3
After playing Golden State are 8-2
After a win are 7-3
A few Thunder at Lakers trends to consider:
Oklahoma City is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Oklahoma City's last 5 games when playing LA Lakers
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Oklahoma City's last 8 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Oklahoma City's last 7 games
The total has gone OVER in 5 of the LA Lakers last 5 games
LA Lakers are 11-1 SU in their last 12 games when playing at home against Oklahoma City
LA Lakers are 20-3 SU in their last 23 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of the LA Lakers last 5 games when playing Oklahoma City
Next up:
Oklahoma City home to Chicago, Sunday, April 1
LA Lakers home to New Orleans, Saturday, March 31
