The Oklahoma City Thunder and Los Angeles Lakers meet Friday in NBA action at the crypto.com Arena. Let’s preview this game and give out a pick and prediction.
The Oklahoma City Thunder are averaging 117.6 points on 46.7 percent shooting and allowing 116.2 points on 47 percent shooting. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is averaging 31.4 points and 5.5 assists, while Josh Giddey is averaging 16.1 points and 6.1 assists. Luguentz Dort is the third double-digit scorer and Jalen Williams is grabbing 4.5 rebounds. The Oklahoma City Thunder are shooting 36 percent from beyond the arc and 80.7 percent from the free throw line. The Oklahoma City Thunder are allowing 35.8 percent shooting from deep and are grabbing 43.8 rebounds per game.
The Los Angeles Lakers are averaging 116.4 points on 47.8 percent shooting and allowing 116.8 points on 46.8 percent shooting. LeBron James is averaging 29.5 points and 8.4 rebounds, while Anthony Davis is averaging 25.8 points and 12.5 rebounds. D’Angelo Russell is the third double-digit scorer and Dennis Schroder is grabbing 2.5 rebounds. The Los Angeles Lakers are shooting 34 percent from beyond the arc and 77.8 percent from the free throw line. The Los Angeles Lakers are allowing 34.1 percent shooting from deep and are grabbing 45.6 rebounds per game.
The Los Angeles Lakers should be favored at home and have the rest advantage, but this is a lot of points for a Lakers squad that ends up in a lot of close games. The Oklahoma City Thunder have also been covering machines on the road dating back to last season and like the Lakers, they're fighting for playoff positioning and even better seeding. Lot of points here. I'll take my chances with OKC on the road.
AUTHOR: Randy Chambers
Follow Randy Chambers on Twitter @WizardOf0dds