Lakers vs. Thunder NBA Playoffs Free Pick
This Lakers vs. Thunder NBA Playoffs free pick is courtesy of Johnny Detroit at PreGame.com. Visit Pregame.com for all the latest free picks and game analyses here.
The Oklahoma City Thunder host the Los Angeles Lakers in a critical Game 4 tonight. This series will either be tied after tonight, or the Lakers will have a commanding 3-1 series lead. The Thunder are 2 point favorites, with a total of 194 points tonight. ESPN will televise this playoff contest at 9:30 EDT.
Oklahoma City was treated to their 1st ever playoff win, as they beat the Lakers in a vital Game 3. The Thunder showed some resolve and toughness, as they came from behind in the 2nd half to beat the defending NBA Champions. This young team very likely gained an enormous amount of confidence with that victory, and they will attempt to build off that tonight. F Kevin Durant and PG Russell Westbrook combined for 56 PTS and 27 rebounds in guiding the Thunder to their Game 3 win. Oklahoma City is going to need to play even better tonight, as it's unlikely they will attempt 22 more free throws than the Lakers. The Thunder are 51-34 SU and 50-35 ATS overall this season. The Thunder are 28-14 SU and 23-19 ATS in home games this season. Oklahoma City was 4-3 ATS this season as a home favorite of 3 PTS or fewer. The Thunder played their best basketball this season against good teams, as they were 30-18 ATS against teams with a winning record.
The Thunder are 6-1 ATS in their last 7 home games against a team with a winning road record. The Over is 19-7 in their last 26 games following a SU win.
Los Angeles has been playing with fire, as they very nearly lost Game 1 to the Thunder. The Lakers weren't able to sneak out another win, as they lost to the Thunder in Game 3 to cut their series lead in half to 2-1. The Lakers have found playing in Oklahoma City difficult this season, as they've lost 2 of the 3 games played their. The 3rd game they were able to win, they were pushed to overtime. The Lakers are still struggling on offense, as they've been held under 100 PTS in 8 of their last 9 games. The Lakers are relying far too often on G Kobe Bryant to bail them out. Coach Jackson needs to shift the offensive focus to other players, notably F Pau Gasol. The Lakers attempted 31 three pointers in their Game 3 loss, as they settled for far too many outside shots. Bryant and Gasol are the only 2 Lakers averaging more than 11 PPG in this series. The Lakers are currently 59-26 SU and 34-48-3 ATS this season. The Lakers are 23-19 SU and 18-23 ATS on the road this season. Los Angeles is 5-8 ATS as the listed underdog this season, including 2-6 ATS as a road underdog of 3 PTS or fewer this season.
The Lakers are 2-8 ATS in their last 10 games as a road underdog up to 4.5 points. The Under is 11-3 in their last 14 games as a road underdog. Guard Sasha Vujacic remains Out with an injured ankle.
Pregame.com projects the final score to be 100-95 in favor of the Los Angeles Lakers. The Lakers +2 is the Play of the Day!
