NBA: LA Lakers vs. OKC Thunder Preview, Odds, Prediction

The LA Lakers have a perfect chance to reach a positive record, as they meet the Oklahoma City Thunder tonight. The hosts haven’t won since the start of the year, while on the other side, the LAL comes to OKC after back-to-back wins. But, the former champs will have certain problems. Both LBJ and Anthony Davis have certain injuries and are questionable for Wednesday’s game. Therefore, Russell Westbrook will have to step in. On the other side, the Thunder is without any pressure, even though many believed they might start the season better.

Preview

Los Angeles Lakers (2-2, -540) arrive in OKC positively, beating the San Antonio Spurs 125-121, after OT last night. The purple-and-gold appeared without LeBron, who had ankle issues, but nothing special according to their medical staff.

Though, both he and Davis might skip this event. AD had a nasty knee bump vs. Spurs, and the doctors will assess what to do next. Having in mind that the season is still early on, we expect to see them both sitting out, as there is no need for any rush.

Davis was superb against the Spurs, ending the match with 35 points and 17 boards, while also posting four blocks and four assists. Brody was near a triple-double with 33 points, 10 boards, and eight dimes, with three steals as well. But what is a good thing is that he had a good shooting percentage, 15-for-27. Malik Monk scored 17 buckets and was solid too.

OKC Thunder (0-4, +385) didn’t win in a long time, including the preseason, and may we say that despite their rebuild and a young team, this isn’t what we expected to see from them. The Thunder lost all four regular-season games with a combined difference of 71 points, which isn’t cool at all.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander playing alone isn’t what we wanted to see from them, and we have to say that the Thunder disappointed us, personally, with the way they handle their business. They needed to be more competitive.

By the way, the young guard is the only one with decent numbers, scoring 20 points per game and shooting 43.1% from the field. He was excellent in the OKC’s latest defeat against the GSW, 106-98, scoring 30 buckets and shooting 11-for-19, with 4-for-5 from the three-point territory. But there was no support, and the closest one with scoring was Jeremian Robinson-Earl with 12 buckets.

Head to Head Games

In all three matches, last season the Lakers were better than the Thunder. The first was in OKC, where the guests won, 128-99, and the next two at Staples, 119-112 and 114-113, both following an OT, which is interesting.

Prediction

The Lakers are big favorites even without LBJ and AD, and we expect them to win this matchup without any particular problems. They have a far better roster, are more experienced, and overall, are a better unit. The odds arent’ that profitable, but are safe. So go with the LAL’s win. If, by any chance, LBJ or AD play, bet on the Lakers with the spread, which is currently -9.5 points.

Pick: LAL wins