LeBron James and the hobbled Lakers managed to defy the odds and win their first-round series against the Rockets despite having a rotation that needed minutes from Bronny James just to survive at times.
Given the unique circumstance of the Lakers missing Luka Doncic for the entire series and Austin Reaves for four games, the fact that the Lakers managed to close out the series in six games should be celebrated.
Heading into the second round of the NBA playoffs, the celebration will likely end abruptly against the Thunder.
Lakers vs. Thunder Game 1 prediction, best bets
Oklahoma City dispatched the Suns in four mostly uncompetitive games and had a plus-17.3 point differential.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander appeared in the fourth quarter in only three of the games and played a total of 22 minutes in the final period of the series.
The spread for Game 1 of Lakers vs. Thunder is as high as 16 points in favor of OKC, which is only one point shorter than their price for Games 1 and 2 against the Suns.
I certainly won’t put anything past LeBron — he still has the ability to surprise even the most skeptical basketball viewers at age 41 — but this mountain is about as steep as Everest, and even with Doncic, the Lakers would be overmatched.
I do expect to see a methodical Lakers team try to win on the margins as much as possible.
The Lakers played at the slowest pace of any series in Round 1 and tried to control the tempo of the games, but they turned the ball over more than any team in the opening round.
A sloppy series like that against the Thunder will be a death knell for the Lakers, who are already up against it.
I’m staying away from the spread for this game, but I do like the Lakers team total at Under 99.5 points.
Betting on the NBA?
Los Angeles crossed the century mark in its first three games against the Rockets, but scored 96, 93, and 98 points in the final three games.
Going against an even better Thunder defense will be the ultimate test for the Lakers’ limited offense.
THE PLAY: Lakers team total Under 99.5 points (-120, bet365)
Why Trust New York Post Betting
Malik Smith has been immersed in the sports betting industry since 2017. He’s a data nerd with a particular focus on the NBA and combat sports. He spends his weeknights in the winter looking for edges on plus-money NBA player props.
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