Life in the bubble has been more than a little strange in terms of the games that have been played in the NBA since its return. The Milwaukee Bucks, the team with the best record in the league, have lost 2 of 4, while underdogs have been making a habit of coming away with wins. Let’s find out how these teams arrive to this Thunder Vs Lakers showdown so you can place your bets against their NBA odds.
NBA Betting – Oklahoma City Thunder Vs LA Lakers Game Preview
You could certainly argue that the teams who had already clinched a high-seeded playoff spot are using these 8 regular season games as a warm-up for the postseason, but if that is the case, they need to remember how difficult it is to step up the pace when you have been cruising for weeks. Then again, all of this could just be a little bit of rust, so perhaps we will see those top teams begin to dominate as they get more games under their belt. All of that makes this matchup a good deal more interesting, as the Thunder will be looking to bounce back from a loss and grab a win as the underdog against the team sitting atop the West.
Why bet on Oklahoma City Thunder
Prior to the resumption of play, I looked at the standings and tried to pick out a couple of potential dark horse teams to watch. The Thunder were one of my picks, but they have had an up and down return to this point. They came out very strong and posted a 110-94 win over the Utah Jazz in their first game back, but they followed that up with a 121-113 loss to an admittedly very strong Denver Nuggets team. Overall, the Thunder are 4-6 in their last 10 meetings with the Lakers, but also winless in the last 3. If you go back to the last 19 meetings, though, OKC are a healthy 13-6 ATS versus the Lakers. The Thunder are listed as the away team here and are 20-11 in road games.
Why bet on LA Lakers
As good as the LA Lakers have been this season, even they have not been able to deliver a perfect start in their return to action, posting a 2-1 record in their 3 games. They started things out with a tight 2-point win over the Clippers before being beaten 107-92 by the Toronto Raptors, one of the teams who have adjusted the best to the bubble. The Lakers got the win over the Utah Jazz on Monday night, covering the spread in that one, which was the first time they had covered since returning to play. That was more like what we are used to, as this team has now covered the spread in 10 of their last 15 games. When the odds come out for this one, take a look at the OVER, as 4 of the last 5 meetings between these two have gone that route.
- When: Wednesday, August 6 at 6:30 PM EST
- Where: Wide World of Sports, Orlando
- Thunder Vs Lakers Live: ESPN
- Money Lines: Thunder+195 / LA Lakers-235
Expert Pick and Final Score Prediction
This looks like one of the more entertaining games on the Wednesday schedule, so well worth tuning into. As far as the result goes, I am taking the Lakers to win and leaning towards the OVER.
Pick: Oklahoma City Thunder 113 LA Lakers 118
