The Los Angeles Lakers (8-3) face the Oklahoma City Thunder (11-1) Wednesday. Tip-off from Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, is set for 9:30 p.m. ET (ESPN). Let’s analyze BetMGM Sportsbook’s NBA odds around the Lakers vs. Thunder odds and make our expert NBA picks and predictions for the best bets.
2024-25 season series: Thunder won 2-1
The vibes are good in La La Land. If you had the Lakers going 8-3 on your bingo card to begin the season without F LeBron James, that likely served a decent payout. They stung the Charlotte Hornets 121-111 Monday as 8.5-point road faves. G Luka Doncic had 38 points, 7 dimes and 6 boards. G Austin Reaves pitched in 24 points, 7 dimes and 5 boards. Doncic would lead the NBA with 37.1 points per game (PPG) if he played enough games to qualify.
G Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is second in the league at 32.8 PPG. He had 28 points and 11 assists in a 126-102 rout of the Golden State Warriors Tuesday as 8.5-point home favorites. He’s the reigning MVP, and the scary thing? He’s getting better. He’s 15-for-31 (48.4%) from downtown over the last 5 games. They’re on a back-to-back, but the Thunder are 5-0 at home. Should be fine, right? Let’s dive in…
Lakers at Thunder odds
Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 1:10 p.m. ET.
Moneyline (ML): Lakers +230 (bet $100 to win $230) | Thunder -285 (bet $285 to win $100)Against the spread (ATS): Lakers +6.5 (-105) | Thunder -6.5 (-115)Over/Under (O/U): 231.5 (O: -105 | U: -115)Lakers at Thunder key injuries
Lakers
F LeBron James (back) outG Gabe Vincent (ankle) out
Thunder
(Not yet submitted — below was for Tuesday’s game)
F Luguentz Dort (shoulder) outF Nikola Topic (groin) outG Aaron Wiggins (hip) outF Jalen Williams (wrist) outF Kenrich Williams (knee) out
For most recent updates: Official NBA injury report.
Lakers at Thunder picks and predictionsPrediction
Lakers 124, Thunder 121
SGA is already playing his third back-to-back on the young season. Now, he has been great on those back ends with 31 against Sacramento Oct. 28 and 35 against Portland Nov. 7. This Lakers team is not those rebuilding squads. Luka is on another level right now, and the loss of Dort and Williams rears its head.
Give me LAKERS (+230).
I’m going to double up here because this is a healthy portion of points to lay for a team in its third back-to-back in just over 2 weeks. Give me LAKERS +6.5 (-105). OKC is just 7-5 ATS on the season despite being 11-1 straight up.
The Lakers are 9-2 O/U on the season, and OKC is 7-5. This is an easy OVER 230.5 (-110) for me. Luka and SGA on national TV is going to be must-see TV. Luka has more help with Reaves and F Rui Hachimura dropping buckets.
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