Thunder vs Lakers Pick, Preview & Betting Odds For Friday, March 24th

Check out our free Thunder vs Lakers pick and preview for this NBA game in Los Angeles. See who we like to win and cover the spread in this NBA matchup.

Thunder vs Lakers NBA Pick & Preview

Sport: NBA
Teams: Oklahoma City Thunder at Los Angeles Lakers
Where: Los Angeles at Crypto.com Arena
Date: Friday, March 24th
Betting Odds LAL -6, OKC +196 | LAL -242 O/U OFF

The Thunder come into today’s matchup with an overall record of 36-37. So far, the team has gone 44-28-1 against the spread. Over the team’s past 3 games, Oklahoma City has an overall record of 2-1, including going 2-1 against the spread.

Not only did the Thunder drop their last game to the Clippers. But they also picked up an ATS loss, as they fell by a score of 127-105 as 4 point underdogs. Oklahoma City struggled in the 2nd half of this matchup, as the teams were all tied at 54 heading into halftime. Leading the team in scoring was Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, as he contributed 30 points while hitting 66.7% of his shots.

The Lakers come into today’s matchup with an overall record of 36-37. So far, the team has gone 35-35-3 against the spread. Los Angeles comes into the game having rattled off 2 straight wins. In these victories, the team has an average scoring margin of 8.5 points per game

The Lakers will look to keep things rolling, as they previously beat the Suns by a score of 122-111. Heading into the game, they were 1 point favorites against the spread, giving them an ATS win. Los Angeles entered the second half with a 7a point lead, and were able to slightly extend that margin and prevent a second half comeback by the Suns. In the win, Anthony Davis led the team in scoring with 27 points on a field goal percentage of 55.6%.

Head To Head Recap & Stats

In the most recent matchup between the two teams, the Thunder picked up the win 133-130 win over the Lakers. Heading into the game, Oklahoma City was the 7.0 point underdogs, giving them an ATS win. So far, the two team’s have split their season series, with each team at 1-1. Similar to their season-long average, the Thunder averaged 106.5 points per game vs the Lakers. Similar to the Thunder, the Lakers scored at a rate near the league average. In their games vs Oklahoma City, the team averaged 113.75 points per game. In terms of betting, Los Angeles has an ATS record of 3-2 in the previous 5 matchups vs Oklahoma City. This mark has come on an average scoring margin of +8 points per game in favor of the Lakers. Oklahoma City and Los Angeles averaged a combined 228 points per game in these games, leading to an over-under mark of 2-3.

Odds & Free Betting Analysis For This NBA Game

The Oklahoma City offense will take the floor in today’s game with the league’s 5th ranked offense at 117.5 points per game. Coming into today’s game, the Thunder will be looking to improve their 3-point shooting numbers, as they are averaging just 12.3 made 3’s per game. Oklahoma City appears to be a candidate to have some offensive regression as not only are they a below average outside shooting unit, but they are generating free-throws at a rate below the NBA average.

Currently, the Thunder defense is ranked 15th in points allowed. So far, opposing teams are averaging 111.83 points per game vs the unit.

Point-Guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander currently leads the Thunder at 31.4 points per game. For the season, he is 10th in the NBA in usage rate and has taken 22.0% of the team’s field goal attempts. In addition to his scoring, Gilgeous-Alexander is averaging 4.8 boards and 5.4 assists per contest. In today’s game, he is facing off against the NBA’s 27th ranked defense at defending point-guards. Josh Giddey enters the game sitting second on the team in scoring. Through 68 games, he is averaging 16.1 and is 103rd in the league in player efficiency rating.

Through 73 games, Los Angeles is the 8th best scoring team at 116.5 points per game. Coming into today’s game, the Lakers will be looking to improve their 3-point shooting numbers, as they are averaging just 10.6 made 3’s per game. Despite struggling with their outside shot, Los Angeles remains one of the better offensive units in large part to their ability to get to the charity stripe. So far, the team is averaging 20.7 made free-throws per game.

On defense, the Lakers will look for some improved play, as they are currently the 28th ranked unit in points allowed per game.

Without LeBron James, Los Angeles will need Anthony Davis to step up and put together a strong scoring performance against the Oklahoma City today. This season, James leads the team in scoring with 29.5 points per game. Davis is the team’s 2nd leading scorer with 25.9 points per game, which places him 17.0th in the NBA. In his 47 games, he has hit 55.9% of his field goal attempts and is averaging 12.4 rebounds per game.