Thunder at Lakers: Betting Preview, Trends, and Prediction

Oklahoma City Thunder (14-4 SU, 10-8 ATS) vs. Los Angeles Lakers (11-7 SU, 8-10 ATS)

When: Friday, November 29th, 10:00 PM (ET)

Where: Crypto.com Arena, CA, Los Angeles

TV: ESPN

Point Spread: OKC -1.5/LAL +1.5

Total: 232.5

Money Line: Oklahoma City Thunder -121/+101

Notable Injuries

Thunder

• Alex Caruso (Out) Right Hip
• Chet Holmgren (Out) Hip
• Ousmane Dieng (Out) Right Ring Finger
• Jaylin Williams (Out) Hamstring
• Adam Flagler (Questionable) Hand
• Nikola Topic (Out) Knee

Lakers

• Anthony Davis (Probable) Foot
• Christian Wood (Out) Knee
• Jarred Vanderbilt (Out) Foot
• Jaxson Hayes (Doubtful) Ankle
• Dalton Knecht (Probable) Quad
• Bronny James Jr. (Out) Heel

At 10:00 ET, the Thunder (-121) will travel to Los Angeles to take on the Lakers (+101) in a Western Conference matchup. Oklahoma City (-1.5) has won three straight games and currently sits in first place in the West. The Lakers (11-7) are fifth in the conference and second in the Pacific Division.

This game will be played at Crypto.com Arena and can be seen on ESPN. The over/under line for this game is 232.5.

Recent Form

The Thunder improved to 14-4 this season with a 105-101 win over the Warriors on Wednesday. Oklahoma City was favored by 4.5 points but didn’t cover the spread, winning by just four. The total score of 206 points fell well short of the 224.5-point over/under line.

Oklahoma City went on a 10-0 run early, turning a 16-12 deficit into a 22-16 lead. They dominated the 1st quarter, leading 39-23, but the Warriors fought back, outscoring the Thunder in the 2nd and 3rd quarters. Heading into the 4th quarter with an 84-83 lead, the Thunder held the Warriors to 18 points in the final period to secure the win.

The Lakers improved to 11-7 on the season with a 119-101 win over the Spurs on Wednesday. Los Angeles, favored by 1.5 points, covered the spread in the road victory. The total points for the game fell short of the 227.5 O/U line, with a combined score of 220.

After a 10-0 run brought the Spurs within a point, the Lakers responded by outscoring San Antonio 35-18 the rest of the way. Los Angeles led 92-77 entering the 4th quarter and closed out the game by winning the final period 27-24.

The Historicals

Through the last five matchups between the teams, Los Angeles has an ATS mark of 4-1. But, looking at the scoring margin in these games, an average of just 2 points per game separates the teams. Oklahoma City and Los Angeles averaged a combined 230 points per game in these games, leading to an over-under mark of 2-3.

Analysis

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the Thunder to a win over the Warriors, scoring 35 points, including 12 in both the 1st and 4th quarters. He also added nine rebounds and five assists, shooting 46.4% from the field and making three threes at 25%.

Isaiah Joe hit four threes at 57.1%, finishing with 17 points, 9 of which came in the 3rd quarter. As a team, the Thunder made 11 threes, shooting 29.7% from deep and 45.9% overall.

The Thunder defense held the Warriors to 101 points on Wednesday, giving up 23 points in the 1st quarter and 27 in the 2nd. They allowed 33 points in the 3rd but tightened up in the 4th, allowing just 18 points to secure the win.

Oklahoma City limited Golden State to 35% shooting, including 32% from three, where the Warriors hit 16 threes. The Thunder sent the Warriors to the line 21 times, where they made 15 free throws. Defensively, the Thunder recorded ten steals and nine blocks.

Dalton Knecht led the Lakers with 20 points and eight rebounds in their win over the Spurs, hitting four threes at a 40% clip. Anthony Davis added 19 points and 14 rebounds, shooting 57.1% from the field, while D’Angelo Russell contributed 17 points, knocking down three threes at 50% efficiency.

The Lakers connected on 13 threes, shooting 38.2% from deep and finished with an overall field goal percentage of 53.3%. Knecht scored 10 points in the 1st quarter and added five more in both the 3rd and 4th. Davis also had a strong 3rd quarter, scoring 12 of his 19 points.

The Lakers put together a solid defensive performance on Wednesday, holding the Spurs to 101 points. They gave up 23 points in the 1st quarter, 24 in the 2nd and 4th, and 30 in the 3rd. Overall, they limited San Antonio to 42% shooting from the field.

From beyond the arc, the Lakers allowed 14 threes on 35% shooting. The Spurs also went 15/16 from the free-throw line. Los Angeles finished with 35 defensive rebounds, gave up 11 offensive boards, and recorded eight steals and three blocks.

Betting Trends

• In their last three games away from home, the Thunder have a straight-up record of 2-1 while going 1-2 vs the spread. The team’s offense averaged 113 points per game in these contests.
• Through their last five home games, Los Angeles has an ATS record of just 2-3. However, their overall record was 3-2 while averaging 111 points per game.
• Going back to their previous ten games as the underdog, Los Angeles has an ATS mark of 6-4 while going 3-7 straight up.
• Across their last five matchups as the betting favorite, the Thunder have an overall record of 3-2 while going 1-4 against the spread.

Joes Pick To Cover The Spread

Tonight’s Thunder vs Lakers matchup is one of the tightest spreads of today’s slate, with OKC coming in as -1.5 point favorites. However, things look good for the status of Anthony Davis, and the Thunder are a pretty banged up group. I really like LA to take care of business tonight, and like them to win this one straight-up.