The Oklahoma City Thunder is running out of time to prove itself an upper echelon team. There were grand expectations placed upon the team after the offseason acquisitions of Paul George and Carmelo Anthony, but Oklahoma City is closer to .500 then to contender status. The Thunder will aim to turn it on down the stretch, which could start this week at home against the Los Angeles Lakers.
The Lakers are one of the worst teams in the league so it shouldn’t be too hard for Oklahoma City to come away with a victory in this matchup. The more interesting battle could be which team covers the spread as the Thunder will certainly be the substantial favorite.
This war on the floor will go down Wednesday, January 17, 2018, at 8 p.m. ET at Chesapeake Energy Arena. The game will be televised live on ESPN.
We'll have NBA odds at BookMaker.eu available for this and every game on the NBA Wednesday schedule.
Odds Analysis
The Lakers are 15-27 straight up and 21-21 against the spread. Los Angeles has covered in 10 of 19 attempts on the road this season. The Lakers are 17-18 against the spread as the underdog.
The Thunder is 23-20 straight up and 17-26 against the spread. Oklahoma City has covered in nine of 21 games at home this season. It is just 14-25 against the spread as the favorite.
Key Stat
Five. That’s the number of losses in the past nine games for Oklahoma City. The belief was that the Thunder would improve as the season got rolling because Anthony and George would have to figure out their roles with the team.
While those two players and Russell Westbrook have all done decently statistically, the team has not consistently win. There was a recent stretch in which Oklahoma City lost by double digits to the Suns, Trail Blazers and Timberwolves.
Oklahoma City currently sits in fifth place in the Western Conference but is only a couple of games ahead of four different teams hot on their tail. The Thunder desperately wants to avoid a first-round matchup against the Golden State Warriors, Houston Rockets or San Antonio Spurs because it could be a quick exit if that is the matchup.
Last Meeting
It wasn’t much of a matchup the last time these two teams played. Oklahoma City jumped out to a 19-point halftime lead because of a huge second quarter and cruised to the 133-96 win.
George led the way with 24 points while Westbrook added 20 points, 12 assists and six rebounds. Oklahoma City shot 60 percent from the field and 46 percent from three-point range.
If Los Angeles isn’t able to slow down Oklahoma City’s offense, this game could once again be lopsided. The Lakers didn’t have Lonzo Ball in the last matchup and their offense struggled to get going without a ball distributor on the court.
Good teams blow out bad ones, especially at home. The Thunder took care of business the last time these teams and would love to cruise once again.
Free NBA ATS Picks
The Lakers broke out of a big funk with some decent play of late. They won four in a row before falling to the Grizzlies last time out. Oklahoma City may not be as people projected this season, but still have the big edge in talent in this one.
Westbrook will be the best player on the court and he should lead the Thunder to the win. Oklahoma City may have to win by more than single digits in order to cover the spread. The Lakers should be able to hang around better than last time and are hoping to cover.
The “under” is something to consider on the total as Oklahoma City plays at a slower pace than the Lakers and will try to force their tempo.
NBA Odds: Thunder 111 , Lakers 100
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