Will LeBron get the next record?
In the night from Tuesday to Wednesday it comes to the duel of the pursuers in the Western Conference. Both teams want to move up in the standings, because currently the teams would even miss the Play-In-Tournament.
In the game between the Los Angeles Lakers and Oklahoma City Thunder, the betting odds point to a home win. This is primarily due to the fact that the visitors had to play Golden State just last night, while the hosts had three days off.
Los Angeles is not particularly strong at home and is 23rd in the NBA in the home standings. Darvin Ham’s team has only 13 wins from 25 games at the Crypto.com Arena. The current form is also only mixed, as the Lakers won only five of the past ten games.
The visitors’ away record is even weaker, however, as OKC have only managed nine wins away from home and have lost 17 times. Their form in recent weeks is also mediocre, as OKC have won just five of their last ten games. For this reason, the odds are not necessarily in favour of an away win between the Los Angeles Lakers and Oklahoma City Thunder.
In sum, we see the Lakers at an advantage because the host should be much fresher due to the long rest. In addition, Los Angeles has a positive record at home and should therefore be able to use the home advantage. OKC has problems away from home, will be much more tired and is not really good in defence anyway.
For this reason, we recommend betting on a home win between the Los Angeles Lakers and Oklahoma City Thunder in combination with over 237.5 points.
Los Angeles Lakers – Statistics & current form
The Lakers are in 13th place in the Western Conference, playing a disappointing season. Darvin Ham’s side have only managed to pick up 25 wins this season, and that’s with 54 matches played. The gap to tenth place is two wins, so the play-in tournament is at least still within reach. And direct entry into the NBA playoffs is still possible, because the Dallas Mavericks in sixth place have only won four more games. So it goes into a decisive phase for Los Angeles this season.
The Greatest Of All Time?
King James could set a new record against the Oklahoma City Thunder and become the all-time leading scorer. To move past Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, LeBron would need to score 36 points against OKC. That could be an additional motivational boost for the LA Lakers superstar.
He is currently questionable due to an ankle injury, but his appearance on the Injury Report is mostly precautionary. We are sure that he will be on the floor against Oklahoma after a three-day break from the game. After all, it’s not just about the record, it’s about another win.
Bursting Blockbuster Trade
Every neutral fan of basketball was disappointed when it was announced that Kyrie Irving was moving to the Dallas Mavericks. The Brooklyn Nets superstar was unhappy with his old employer and requested a trade. His desired destination was the Lakers, but his former club objected.
For Irving, the Lakers would have been willing to give up three players and a first round pick. The reunion of LeBron James and Kyrie Irving, who already stood on the court together in Cleveland and became champions, would have been extremely exciting, especially since LA would have had a third superstar on the team with AD.
Starting Five of the Los Angeles Lakers:
SF: LeBron James – PF: Rui Hachimura – PG: Dennis Schröder – SG: Patrick Beverley – C: Anthony Davis
Los Angeles Lakers injuries:
Anthony Davis – Game Time Decision
LeBron James – Game Time Decision
Scotty Pippen – Game Time Decision
Austin Reaves – Game Time Decision
Oklahoma City Thunder – Statistics & current form
OKC is one place ahead of the Lakers and thus in twelfth place in the West. Mark Daigneault’s team also has 25 wins, but has played one game less. The starting position is therefore almost identical, because Oklahoma also wants to make the NBA playoffs.
Even a place in the play-in tournament would be a great success for the visitors after the Thunders finished the pre-season in 14th place. They have already picked up more wins this season than in the entire 2021/22 season, so the development is very positive, especially since the squad is still young.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander stands out
In 2018, Oklahoma’s best, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, was selected eleventh overall in the first round in the draft. The Canadian is currently playing his fifth and best season, as the guard is averaging 30.8 points and is clearly the top scorer on the team. He also averages 4.7 rebounds and 5.6 assists.
At the age of 24, he does not seem to have reached his limit yet. This season, he even made it to the NBA All-Star Game and deserved it. If he keeps up the current form, it would be no wonder if he would soon land with one of the top teams.
The offensive power of OKC
Oklahoma averages 117.3 points per game, ranking fifth league-wide. Besides Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Josh Giddey and Luguentz Dort are also good and reliable scorers. The latter will be missing against the LA Lakers due to a thigh injury.
The offensive power also has a disadvantage, however, because OKC is vulnerable on the defensive end. The visitors allow an average of 116.4 points, which ranks them 20th in the NBA. So we can expect a game with a lot of baskets between the LA Lakers and Oklahoma City Thunder.
Starting Five of the Oklahoma City Thunder:
PG: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander – SG: Josh Giddey – F: Jalen Williams – F: Jaylin Williams – C: Mike Muscala
Injuries suffered by Oklahoma City Thunder:
Luguentz Dort – Out
Chet Holmgren – Out For Season
Aleksej Pokusevski – Out
Jeremiah Robinson-Earl – Out
Los Angeles Lakers – Oklahoma City Thunder Head-to-head comparison / H2H record
The direct comparison between the two teams is very close. Because while the Lakers have won 77 games, OKC stands at 72 wins. The host also won the last two duels against Oklahoma and will therefore be confident to get the third win in a row.
However, the last meeting was almost ten months ago, so this result has little significance for the upcoming match. The form of Los Angeles is not exactly impressive and therefore our prediction between the Los Angeles Lakers and Oklahoma City Thunder also goes more to a player bet.
Los Angeles Lakers – Oklahoma City Thunder Tip
We play between the Los Angeles Lakers and Oklahoma City Thunder the tip on over 32.5 points from LeBron James. The King will be looking to secure the crown of all-time top scorer in this game and will get more throws than he already usually does.
In addition, he will meet a weak Oklahoma defence, which should also have tired legs. We are sure that Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s record will be broken on this night. And if he has to be on the court for over 40 minutes to do it, his ambition will prevail.
Alternatively, we have the following odds in mind between the Los Angeles Lakers and Oklahoma City Thunder. As mentioned earlier, both teams are very poor on the defensive end. In LA’s games, they drop an average of 235.5 points, while the visitors stand at an average of 233.7. For this reason, a bet on over 232.5 points seems to have high chances of winning.
