Lakers vs Thunder NBA Week 14 Betting Lines & Expert Pick.

Lakers vs Thunder NBA Week 14 Betting Lines & Expert Pick

Written by on January 17, 2019

On paper, it looked to be a great late TNT game this Thursday as the Lakers visit the Thunder, but Los Angeles will again be without LeBron James so the Lakers are double-digit NBA lines underdogs against Russell Westbrook & Co.

How to Bet Lakers vs Thunder NBA Week 14 Betting Lines & Game Info

Season Series

The Thunder lead 1-0 as they won 107-100 in L.A. on Jan. 2 when LeBron James was out. Paul George scored 37 points while getting jeered whenever he touched the ball by Lakers fans still angry he didn’t choose their team in free agency. Russell Westbrook had 14 points, 16 rebounds and 10 assists despite 3-for-20 shooting. After collecting 13 points in the second quarter and 11 more in the third, George scored nine points in the fourth while the Thunder rallied from a five-point deficit. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope scored 18 of his 25 points in the first half for the Lakers.

The two teams have met 247 times in the regular season (142-105) but just 36 times (14-22) since the Thunder relocated to Oklahoma City prior to the 2008-09 season. The Lakers have played 19 times during the regular season at Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City, going 0-2 against the New Orleans Hornets while the team was temporarily relocated from 2005-07 and 5-12 against the Thunder.

Why Bet on LA Lakers?

The Lakers improved to 4-7 without the injured LeBron James thanks to Tuesday’s 107-100 win over Chicago. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope moved into the starting lineup over Josh Hart and hit 4-of-11 shots, 1-of-6 3-pointers and 8-of-10 free throws for 17 points, four rebounds, one assist and two steals in 31 minutes. Hart played 22 minutes, but hit just 1-of-1 shots for two points, four assists and two steals in a win over the Bulls.

Tyson Chandler started over JaVale McGee on Tuesday and hit 3-of-3 shots and 2-of-4 free throws for eight points, three rebounds, two assists and a block in 26 minutes. Brandon Ingram hit 7-of-13 shots and 2-of-4 free throws for 16 points, nine rebounds, seven assists and a steal. Ingram’s been scoring and assisting well in the absence of LeBron, averaging 18.4 points, 6.6 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 0.6 steals on 54 percent shooting over his last five games.

Lonzo Ball hit 8-of-17 shots and three 3-pointers to lead the Lakers with 19 points, eight rebounds, six assists and two steals. Ball is averaging 13 points, 7.2 rebounds, 7.2 assists, 2.0 steals and 2.2 3-pointers on 40 percent shooting over his last five games.

James (left groin) will miss at least another two games for the Lakers. He won’t be traveling with the team for their two-game road trip, so he’s set to miss 13 straight games for the first time in his career. The earliest he would be able to get back out there would be for the Lakers’ MLK Day game against Golden State on Monday. James has been cleared to practice starting next week.

Team Stats

Offense
  • Total Score: 111.31
  • Field Goal Percentage: 46.95
  • Three-Point Percentage: 33.38
  • Free Throw Percentage: 68.32
  • Total Rebounds: 47.11

Defense

  • Total Score: 110.40
  • Field Goal Percentage: 44.34
  • Three-Point Percentage: 34.40
  • Free Throw Percentage: 78.53
  • Total Rebounds: 47.27

Why Bet on Oklahoma City?

The Thunder were very flat Tuesday in an ugly 142-126 loss at a bad Hawks team on Tuesday. Oklahoma City coach Billy Donovan said his team didn’t play winning defense. “What did we score tonight, 126 points?” Donovan asked. “That should be good enough for us to win.” Atlanta’s points were a season high.

Russell Westbrook led Oklahoma City with 31 points and 11 assists. George had 24 points and Jerami Grant added 21. Dennis Schroder scored 21 points, adding six assists, three boards, one steal and three triples in 27 minutes. Before the game, Schroder took a shot at his former team and explained why he wanted to be traded. “I wanted to be in a winning mentality organization,” Schroder said. “You just can’t go out there and try to lose.”

Lakers vs Thunder should be an easy victory for Oklahoma City.

Nerlens Noel (concussion) was doing some shooting and skill work on Wednesday. He is still in the concussion protocol, but this is a great sign for his progress. Noel has been out since Jan. 8 and is still out indefinitely.

Even with Tuesday’s ugly game, the Thunder are holding opponents to the fifth-lowest three-point percentage in the league (34.1) as well as allowing the eighth-fewest field goals per contest (39.7). Oklahoma City also holds the second-best defensive rating in the league (102.9) and ranks first in deflections per game (16.3).

Team Stats

Offense
  • Total Score: 113.09
  • Field Goal Percentage: 45.67
  • Three-Point Percentage: 32.79
  • Free Throw Percentage: 71.02
  • Total Rebounds: 48.26

Defense

  • Total Score: 108.19
  • Field Goal Percentage: 45.51
  • Three-Point Percentage: 34.49
  • Free Throw Percentage: 75.45
  • Total Rebounds: 44.98

Lakers vs Thunder NBA Week 14 Betting Trends

  • Under is 6-0 in the last 6 meetings in Oklahoma City
  • Favorite is 5-1 ATS in the last 6 meetings
  • Home team is 16-5 ATS in the last 21 meetings
  • LA is 2-5-1 ATS in its last 8 games
  • LA is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games on the road
  • The total has gone UNDER in 5 of LA Lakers’s last 5 games
  • Oklahoma City is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games
  • Oklahoma City is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games
  • The total has gone OVER in 4 of Oklahoma City’s last 5 games

Expert NBA Betting Prediction for Lakers vs Thunder

Thunder 115, Lakers 103