The Oklahoma City Thunder (40-30) square off against the visiting Los Angeles Lakers (18-50) at Chesapeake Energy Arena. The game starts at 8:00 pm ET on Tuesday, Mar. 24 and will air on TWC SN and FS Oklahoma.
The Thunder easily got past the Heat 93-75 on Sunday. Enes Kanter played a key role, recording 27 points and 12 rebounds to notch his 23rd double-double this season. The Lakers, meanwhile, are coming off a 101-87 win over the 76ers on Sunday. Jeremy Lin led the game in scoring with 29 points on 10-for-16 shooting.
Kanter has really been playing well as of late for the Thunder, averaging 17.2 points, 10.6 rebounds, and 0.6 steals over the last five games.
The defense for Oklahoma City should have a clear edge in terms of effective field goal percentage. They rank fifth in the league in forcing misses (opponents’ effective field goal percentage of 48.0%), while the offense of Los Angeles is 26th with a mark of 47.3%.
The Thunder have won both matchups against the Lakers this season, including a 108-101 victory in their last matchup. Despite the loss, Lin was the game’s leading scorer with 20 points.
Oddsmakers have deemed this game an even matchup and the Over/Under (O/U) is presently unavailable. The Thunder enter the game with records of 40-30 Straight Up (SU) and 35-33-2 Against The Spread (ATS). They have a record of 20-21 SU and 22-18-1 ATS versus the Western Conference. The Thunder have one of the most prolific home offenses in the entire league, averaging 105.9 points per game. Oklahoma City’s defense is doing poorly against opposing offenses during the last 10 games, allowing an average of 107.6 points per game, well above their season average of 100.3. Opposing offenses have been stifled by the Thunder, allowing a field goal percentage of only .431. An area where the Thunder are particularly strong is defensive rebounding where they average 35.0 defensive rebounds per game, second in the NBA.
On the other side, Los Angeles has a SU record of 18-50 and an ATS record of 34-32-2. Somehow Los Angeles managed to go 8-2 ATS over the last 10 games, while having an unimpressive record of 2-8 SU during the same amount of time. The last 10 games have really brought the best of the Lakers on the defensive end. They’ve allowed 95.3 points per game during that span, which is lower than their season average of 104.5. Don’t expect Los Angeles to give away the ball much on offense, where its 12.7 turnovers per game ranks fifth in the league.
Oklahoma City won the last meeting this season between these two teams, moving its SU record against the Lakers to 8-2 in their last 10 head-to-head meetings. At 5-5, they are even bets ATS. Both Oklahoma City and Los Angeles have led in three key areas (field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers) twice over the last 10.
Predictions: SU Winner – OKC, ATS Winner – OKC
Notes
On average, Los Angeles scores 98.7 points per game (ranked 18th), while Oklahoma City gives up 100.3 points per game (ranked 17th).
Los Angeles puts up an average of 97.8 points per away game (ranked 17th), while Oklahoma City gives up 97.8 points per home game (ranked 11th).
In games where they allow fewer than 100 points, the Oklahoma City Thunder are a solid 24-9. In games where they fail to hit triple digits, the Los Angeles Lakers have an abysmal record of 4-30.
Oklahoma City has a 16-21 record when allowing at least 100 points. Los Angeles has a 14-20 record when it hits the century mark.
The Lakers have a defensive rating of 106.6 (ranked 28th). The Thunder rank 10th for their offensive rating of 104.2.
The Oklahoma City Thunder average 99.1 possessions and 1.042 points per possession in games this season. The Los Angeles Lakers average fewer possessions with 98.0, as well as fewer points per possession with 1.006.
Oklahoma City has an average effective field goal percentage of 49.0%. Los Angeles is a subpar 7-34 when opponents have a similar or higher effective field goal percentage.
On average, the Los Angeles Lakers make 20.9 assists per game and the Oklahoma City Thunder make 20.8. Los Angeles is ranked 20th, while Oklahoma City is ranked 22nd.
Oklahoma City makes an average of 5.9 blocks per game (ranked sixth), while Los Angeles makes 4.5 blocks per game (ranked 21st).
Oklahoma City ranks among the best in the league in offensive rebounding at second, while Los Angeles ranks a solid 12th in defensive rebounds.
The Los Angeles Lakers make an average of 7.3 steals per game. When the Oklahoma City Thunder allow 7 or more steals, they are a solid 28-18.
