NBA Playoffs: Lakers vs Thunder Game 1

Expert Pick:
-Oklahoma City -15.5 (-110)

Could LeBron James’s time with the Los Angeles Lakers end not with a bang, but with a whimper? This series against the Oklahoma City Thunder should certainly raise that question. MyLakers vs. Thunder predictions and NBA picks show little faith in L.A., not even for Game 1 on Tuesday, May 5.

Lakers vs Thunder Game 1 prediction. Lakers vs Thunder best bet: Thunder -15.5 (-110). Perhaps if Luka Dončić were back in the Lakers’ lineup, the series would carry more intrigue. As it stands, Oklahoma City’s defense looks too formidable for the Lakers to handle. They met four times this season, and the Thunder covered the spread in every meeting by an average of 19 points versus expectations. The Lakers fell short of their team total in three of the four games by an average of 11.6 points, even when including the lone Team Total Over, which came by two points. Without Luka, expect OKC to swarm LeBron James at every opportunity.

Los Angeles faced Houston’s offense with far fewer worries, which went 12-of-48 from the midrange in that six-game series, than it will against Oklahoma City.

Same Game Parlays:
-Thunder First Half -9.5, Thunder -15.5, Austin Reaves Under 21.5 Points.
-Thunder -15.5, LeBron James Under 20.5 Points.

Los Angeles played on Friday, and while that game ended in a rout, it also carried a tense moment heading into it. Meanwhile, Oklahoma City has had a full week off after its easy sweep of Phoenix. Every advantage seems to line up for a Thunder blowout to open this series, and once the game gets out of hand, Lakers coach JJ Redick likely will sit Austin Reaves to spare his oblique from any extra stress. Reaves logged just 34 and 31 minutes in his two games back against the Rockets. There will be little incentive to push him while the team trails by a large margin. Reason suggests a Los Angeles loss is likely, whether you attribute it to rest, home court, or other factors. Just expect it to go that way. Redick will wisely preserve any big LeBron effort for when it can matter more. Look back to Game 4 of the previous round: the Lakers lost by 19 and trailed by more than that for much of the night. James played only 33 minutes and scored just 10 points.