The Oklahoma City Thunder will travel to the Staples Center to take on the Los Angeles Lakers. Action begins at 10:30 pm ET on Friday, Jan. 8 and can be seen on ESP, TWC and FxK.
The Lakers are expecting a better outcome after their 118-115 loss to the Kings on Thursday. D’Angelo Russell had a solid performance, recording 27 points, four assists, and two steals for Los Angeles. The Thunder, meanwhile, are coming off a 112-94 win against the Grizzlies on Wednesday. Kevin Durant claimed his 10th double-double of the season with 26 points and 17 rebounds.
Over the last five games, Lou Williams has taken his game to another level for the Lakers, averaging 20.6 points, 3.4 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 1.0 steal, and 2.4 three-pointers.
The prolific offense of the Thunder (second in the league with an offensive efficiency of 109.9) will look to pick apart the bottom-tier defense of the Lakers (30th in the NBA with a defensive efficiency of 108.3), a matchup that could favor Oklahoma City.
The Thunder have emerged victorious in both games against the Lakers this year, including a decisive 120-85 victory in their last matchup. In the victory, Russell Westbrook led all scorers on the team with 23 points.
The Thunder are favored by 13 points over Los Angeles and the Over/Under (O/U) is sitting at 212 points. The Lakers have gone 8-29 Straight Up (SU) and 16-21 Against The Spread (ATS). Over their last 10 games, they have had success covering the spread (7-3).
In the other locker room, the Thunder have 25-11 SU and 15-21 ATS records. Against the Western Conference, Oklahoma City is 17-3 SU and 10-10 ATS. Offensively, they average 108.6 points per game, which is good for second in the league. The Thunder get to the line and convert their free throws at a high volume, ranking fourth in the league with 732 made (20.0 per game). The Thunder have controlled the glass with an average of 47.5 rebounds per game, third in the league. Shifting to the other side of the court, blocking shots is an area where Oklahoma City has excelled. The Thunder average 6.8 blocks per game, best in the league.
Oklahoma City beat Los Angeles in their most recent meeting this season, bumping its SU record over the last 10 meetings to 9-1. The Thunder also lead the matchup ATS with a record of 7-3.
Predictions: SU Winner – OKC, ATS Winner – OKC, O/U – Under
Notes
LA Lakers are 6-19 SU in their last 25 games.
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of the LA Lakers last 5 games at home.
LA Lakers are 4-12 SU in their last 16 games at home.
LA Lakers are 0-5 SU in their last 5 games when playing Oklahoma City.
LA Lakers are 1-5 ATS in their last 6 games when playing Oklahoma City.
The total has gone OVER in 7 of the LA Lakers last 10 games when playing Oklahoma City.
LA Lakers are 1-4 SU in their last 5 games when playing at home against Oklahoma City.
LA Lakers are 15-8 SU in their last 23 games when playing at home against Oklahoma City.
Oklahoma City is 8-15 SU in their last 23 games when playing on the road against LA Lakers.
Los Angeles scores an average of 96.9 points per game (ranked 26th), while Oklahoma City allows 100.5 points per game (ranked 14th).
On average, Los Angeles puts up 96.0 points per home game (ranked 29th), while Oklahoma City gives up 101.5 points per away game (ranked 12th).
The Oklahoma City Thunder won their last game by 18 points. In games decided by a margin of 18 points or more, the Los Angeles Lakers are 2-10. Oklahoma City is 9-0 in blowouts this season.
When allowing fewer than 100 points, the Thunder are 16-2 on the season. When the Lakers score fewer than 100, they are an underachieving 3-22.
At 9-9, the Oklahoma City Thunder have split their games when their opponents score 100 points or more. The Los Angeles Lakers are 5-7 when they register triple digits.
Ranked second, the Thunder have an offensive rating of 109.9. The Lakers, on the other hand, rank 30th with a defensive rating of 108.3.
Oklahoma City is among the top-ranked teams based on its average field goal percentage of 47.4% (ranked third). Los Angeles has not won a game this season when opponents have a similar or higher field goal percentage (0-15).
In comparison to the rest of the league, the Los Angeles Lakers see similar results in both field goal percentage and effective field goal percentage, ranking 30th for both metrics. The Oklahoma City Thunder also rank the same for both FG% and EFF%, coming in at third.
Los Angeles makes an average of 18.6 assists per game (ranked 27th). Oklahoma City ranks higher in assists with 21.6 (ranked 14th).
Oklahoma City averages a league-best 6.8 blocks per game. Los Angeles is the worst team in terms of blocking, with 4.5 per game.
The Los Angeles Lakers are a top-15 offensive rebounding team, currently ranked 14th for the season. The Oklahoma City Thunder rank near the very top (fourth) in defensive rebounding.
The Los Angeles Lakers make an average of 7.5 steals per game. When the Oklahoma City Thunder allow 7 or more steals, they are a solid 19-9.
