NBA Betting Previews- Oklahoma City Thunder vs Los Angeles Lakers

March 29, 2012

NBA Betting Previews- Oklahoma City Thunder vs Los Angeles Lakers

NBA Betting Previews- Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Los Angeles Lakers

Pointspread: Los Angeles -3.5

Total Line: OFF

It will be a Western Conference showdown of division leaders this Thursday night when the Oklahoma City Thunder tangle with the Los Angeles Lakers at the Staples Center. The game is part of a TNT Thursday night double-header and is slated to tip-off at 10:30 p.m. (ET).

Oklahoma City continues to hold onto the top spot in the West with a four-game winning streak that has raised its overall record to 38-12 straight-up (28-22 against the spread). The Thunder are 16-8 SU on the road this season and 14-10 ATS. The total has gone 13-11 in the 24 road games.

Behind the dynamic duo of Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook, who are combining for an average of 52 points a game, Oklahoma City leads the NBA in scoring with 103.7 points a game. It also has the third-highest scoring differential in the league at +6.58. The Thunder have averaged 118.8 points during their four-game run including a ridiculous 149 points in an overtime win over Minnesota.

Los Angeles is 31-19 SU and has created a bit a breathing room in the Pacific Division over the city-rival Clippers with a 2.5-game lead. This team continues to struggle with consistency with a 3-3 SU record in its last six games. The Lakers have also been costly as of late with a 1-6 record ATS in their last seven games. They are 22-28 ATS overall and 13-11 ATS at home. The total has also gone 13-11 at home this year.

It is still the Kobe Bryant show for LA as he has scored at or above his season average of 28.3 points in six of the team’s last nine games. Overall, the Lakers are ranked 17^th in the NBA in scoring with an average of 96 points a game, but remain in the top 10 in points allowed; giving-up an average of 93.6.

The Thunder are 1-6 ATS in their last seven games following an ATS win and 2-5 ATS in their last seven games following a SU win. The total has gone ‘over’ in 13 of their last 16 games against the Pacific Division.

The Lakers are 0-5 ATS in their last five home games and 1-6 ATS in their last seven games overall. The total has gone ‘over’ in four of their last five games against the Northwest Division.

The favorite in this series is 6-2 ATS in the last eight meetings and the total has stayed ‘under’ in four of the last five games. This season, Oklahoma City won the only meeting 100-85 as a seven-point home favorite. Look for Los Angeles to rally with a strong effort at home to send a message to the Thunder that it is still a factor in the conference title race. The Free NBA Pick: Los Angeles 107 Oklahoma City 103

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Dave Schwab

DJ is a freelance writer that concentrates on his true passion in life; the world of sports. He produces a number of articles each week for BangTheBook.com as well as a select group of other websites that specialize in providing the most up-to-date information for the sports gaming industry. His goal is to write insightful articles on a wide variety of sporting topics that can provide an edge to today's sophisticated online player.

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