The Los Angeles Lakers and Oklahoma City Thunder are running short on time to make their respective runs at the playoffs. Both teams were dealt massive blowa recently, with the Lakers’ LeBron James and the Thunder’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander out injured. However, the season doesn’t stop, and these bubble teams need to figure out how to win without their best players.
Let’s check the latest NBA odds, stats, injury reports, and NBA lines for Lakers vs Thunder. We’ve plenty of NBA betting odds for you to consider.
Lakers Playoff Hopes Dwindling
The Lakers came out of the All-Star break swinging with back-to-back wins over the Golden State Warriors and Dallas Mavericks as they fight to earn a playoff spot. But the Lakers’ playoff chances may have just died with James suffering a non-contact injury to his foot. Instead of potentially rallying from 12th place into playoff contention, the Lakers may be heading further down the standings with James out for at least two weeks.
Tuesday was the Lakers’ first test without James, and things went as expected. LA was smoked by the Memphis Grizzlies by 12 points on the road, with Anthony Davis leading the offense with 28 points. No other starter scored over 12 points, while Jarred Vanderbilt and Troy Brown Jr. combined to score just six.
In 15 games without James this season, the Lakers are 5-10 outright and 5-10 against the spread (ATS).
Adding to the loss of James is the potential for D’Angelo Russell to sit on Wednesday with an injury. Even if Russell does play, the combo of him and Davis will not be enough to make a playoff run sans James.
Shai-less Thunder Try To Stop Bleeding
The Lakers aren’t the only team without their best player. Gilgeous-Alexander will miss his fourth straight game after entering health and safety protocols with knee and abdominal injuries. The loss is a massive deal for the Thunder, who were struggling enough with him and lost their last four games.
Despite their best player on the shelf, the Thunder are still -1 favorites at home, according to the NBA odds board at BetUS Sportsbook. OKC still leads the NBA with a record against the spread of 37-23-1 but is 0-4 ATS since returning from the All-Star break. I don’t imagine things turning around for the Thunder now that SGA is out. When their star player is absent, the Thunder are a much more modest 3-4 ATS and on an 0-3 losing streak.
Lakers vs Thunder Game Injuries
Lakers’ Anthony Davis is listed out tonight vs. Thunder.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) March 1, 2023
Lakers vs Thunder Head-to-Head
The Thunder beat the Lakers 133-130 as 6.5-point underdogs earlier this year in the team’s only showdown this season. The Lakers had won the previous two games and covered both as betting favorites.
Lakers vs Thunder Game Information
- Game: Lakers (29-33) vs Thunder (28-33)
- Location Paycom Center, Oklahoma City, OK
- Day/Time: Wednesday, March 1, 8 p.m. ET
- Lakers vs Thunder Live stream: NBA Game Pass
Lakers vs Thunder Betting Lines
Lakers vs Thunder Picks and Prediction
Looking at these teams before their stars were injured, the Lakers were trending up while the Thunder fell off the pace. LA has better role players, more depth, and players who can actually pick up most of the slack left by James. The same can’t be said for the Thunder, and I believe their reign as ATS All-Stars is over.
Lakers vs Thunder Trends
Lakers vs Thunder Edge
Lakers vs Thunder Results
Lakers vs Thunder Game Summary
Thunder vs Lakers Previous Game (Feb. 07, 2023)
The Los Angeles Lakers have their next two games at home, and with LeBron James only 36 points away from becoming the All-Time NBA scoring leader, Tuesday could be the night he breaks the record when the Lakers welcome the Oklahoma City Thunder.
The Thunder will be playing the second of a back-to-back, losing to the Golden State Warriors 141-114 on Monday. In the Lakers’ previous game, they lost to the New Orleans Pelicans 131-126 on Saturday, despite James and Anthony Davis combining for 61 points.
This game feels like the perfect situation for James to pass Abdul-Jabbar. Neither team has a good defense, ranked in the bottom third of the league in points allowed per game. On top of that, they both have strong offenses in the top six for points per game.
If the game ends up close with the teams going bucket for bucket, the Lakers have the experience that the Thunder lack to pull out a close win.
