OKC Thunder face West’s best with Lakers on tap – preview
The OKC Thunder play their third ‘seeded’ game vs. the Los Angeles Lakers – we preview the match.
Game three of their eight seeding games is on tap for the OKC Thunder today and an important match it is since it will affect seeding. The game is set to occur at 6:30 p.m. ET (5:30 p.m. CT) today versus the Los Angeles Lakers.
Based on their first loss in the bubble the Thunder dropped to sixth but losses by the Jazz and Rockets mean a win today would move OKC ahead of both teams since they own the tiebreaker over both.
On first glance that might seem like an extremely tall task and the oddsmakers favor the Lakers (see below). However, the Lakers win over the Jazz cemented their top seed in the West. Therefore the question is how Frank Vogel will address his team’s playing time, particularly his superstars.
In fact, the next five games for LA might be better served to find offensive cohesion among anyone not named LeBron or AD. That could benefit the Thunder.
OKC Thunder game plan:
Guard play:
Despite Dennis Schroder being out OKC will have a decided backcourt advantage. The Raptors backcourt combined for 47 points 19 rebounds and 17 assists. Kyle Lowry delivered 33 points, 14 boards, and six assists while Fred VanVleet produced 13 points, five rebounds, and 11 assists.
Chris Paul and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander should be able to feast and Luguentz Dort should take every opportunity to drive the paint.
Pace and Tempo:
If the Nuggets match taught the Thunder anything, it’s that they can’t allow the opponent to control the tempo and pace of the game. If OKC gets into a half-court slugfest particularly against a lengthy squad like the Lakers it won’t end well.
Chris Paul and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander need to make a concerted effort to push the pace on makes or misses.
Wings could feast:
Looking back at the initial two meetings between the Lakers and Thunder in one game Terrance Ferguson (11) and Darius Bazley (9) scored well above their averages. Abdel Nader and Hamidou Diallo both also had decent showings with Hami’s bad elbow injury being incurred in LA.
If the Thunder pushes the pace and drives the basket there is opportunity against this Lakers squad. Referring back to the Raptors game versus the Lakers, OG Anunoby had a big night and in spite of being the main defender on LeBron, he also managed to score 23 points.
Donovan should pull from that example and look for Hami and Abdel to look for their scoring opportunities.
Say no to Kuz:
In the game LeBron and AD didn’t play Kyle Kuzma went off for the Lakers amassing 36 points. Much like the Nuggets Michael Porter Jr. this points to the issues of stopping lengthy forwards with range.
Donovan needs to have a game plan in mind to stop Kuzma because the Thunder can’t afford to have the superstars and Kuzma also putting up big numbers.
Putting Roberson on Kuzma wouldn’t be a bad idea.
Odds predictions:
As noted above the Lakers get the nod from the oddsmakers as 6.5 to 5.5 points favorites. The over/under is 217.5 and the best money line odds are +220 for OKC and -220 for the Lakers.
There are two schools of thought about what Frank Vogel’s game plan will be. There isn’t a need by the Lakers to send a message to OKC – – they’ve beaten the Thunder all three times this season including the game when both LeBron and AD sat.
Vogel will need to get his players some minutes to keep improving the team’s conditioning and stamina. However, playing his superstars extra minutes in a match without any advantage of winning or losing for his squad isn’t worth risking one of his stars getting injured.
Given how well guards have performed against the Lakers in the bubble I’d feel pretty confident in taking the points for OKC.
Game Specifics
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- Damian Lillard does not fit with the OKC Thunder
Lakers Record/Seed: 51-15
Cemented the top seed in West throughout Western Conference playoffs.
Thunder Record/Seed: 41-25
OKC is currently in sixth. A win would move them up to fifth and depending on the outcome of the Jazz-Grizzlies game they could move as high as fourth.
The Venue: Walt Disney World Resort. ESPN Complex- HP Field House
Tipoff: 6:30 PM ET | 5:30 PM CT
TV: ESPN
Radio: WWLS 98.1 FM OKC
History:
The teams have played each other 41 times in the regular season ahead of this match with the Thunder holding a 23-18 advantage. This season the Lakers won all three contests although the first two meetings came down to the wire.
- Nov 19, 2019: 107 – 112, Lakers win
- Nov 22, 2019: 127 – 130, Lakers win
- Jan 11, 2020: 110 – 125, Lakers win
Next. Ranking difficulty of seeding schedules for all 22 teams. dark
Enjoy the game and check back after for player grades and takeaways.