The Los Angeles Lakers and Oklahoma City Thunder will begin their Western Conference semifinal series with Game 1 at the Paycom Center in Oklahoma City on Tuesday night. Tipoff is set for 8:30 pm ET on NBC. The Lakers held off the Rockets in six games during first-round action, while the Thunder are coming off an easy sweep of the Suns.
Let’s dive into my Lakers vs. Thunder Game 1 prediction.
Los Angeles Lakers vs. Oklahoma City Thunder odds
Money line: Lakers +700 / Thunder -1100
Spread: Lakers +15.5 (-110) / Thunder -15.5 (-110)
Total: Over 213.5 (-110) / Under 213.5 (-110)
Los Angeles Lakers vs. Oklahoma City Thunder best bet: Thunder -15.5 (-110)
Although the spread is predictably huge and I’m never overly enthused about giving so many points in the playoffs, the Thunder have enough advantages to make an exception in this situation. Winning is almost certain for the home side on Tuesday, and covering is also well within the realm of possibility. Like it was for Oklahoma City against almost all of its opponents in the regular season, this particular matchup was total domination. OKC swept the four encounters by margins of 29, nine, 43, and 36 points. That’s a ridiculous 29.3 ppg average margin of victory.
Lakers star Luka Doncic played in two of those four meetings. His team lost those games by 29 and 43 points. Doncic has not yet taken the floor in the postseason and remains out with a hamstring injury. His return doesn’t appear to be imminent, either. Austin Reaves (oblique) is back — but even when he returned in the first round against Houston, L.A.’s offense frequently underwhelmed. If that continues against the defending NBA champions, it will be a rout in Game 1 and a short series overall.
As the only team in the entire playoffs to sweep in round one, OKC had a week off prior to this series. The Lakers, on the other hand, had a difficult time holding off the Rockets in six games. The Thunder are 5-0 against the spread in the last five head-to-head matchups, so don’t be surprised if that trend continues.