NBA Thursday night will see the finale of the Los Angeles Lakers traveling to take on the Oklahoma City Thunder. The game is scheduled for a 9:30 p.m. start time and it will be televised nationally on TNT. Currently the odds have the Thunder favored by 6 points with the total sitting at 195 points. In the final game before the All-Star break, who will win between these two Western Conference foes?
Free Analysis: The upstart Oklahoma City Thunder might be the best team in the Western Conference. That's a label the Los Angeles Lakers have grown accustomed to during the past 10 seasons. The Lakers have played well of late, but it still might not be enough to cool off the Thunder. OKC is tied for the best record in the NBA with the Miami Heat and have won 11 straight games at home this season. They've been close to unbeatable at home this year, sporting a 14-1 record overall. The Lakers (20-13) won their second straight game and fifth overall in six games, 96-91 at Dallas on Wednesday. The back-to-back games might play a bit of a toll on LA. They have struggled on the road this season, but they've also won three out of their last five games away from Staples Center. The Thunder (26-7) have averaged 107.9 points on 50.5 percent shooting during an 11-game home winning streak that followed a 103-93 loss to Portland way back on Jan. 3. The franchise hasn't won 12 in a row since 1997-98 when they were in Seattle. The Lakers have won their last two visits to Oklahoma City, including playoffs, but had their four-game overall winning streak against the Thunder snapped with a 120-106 home loss last April 10. Kevin Durant scored 31 points in that contest and Russell Westbrook added 26 for the Thunder as both have been able to play well against the Lakers in their short careers. Durant has averaged nearly 25 points per game in 20 career games against LA while Westbrook connected for 27 points per game and more than eight assists per game against LA last year. Westbrook scored 31 while Durant added 28, nine rebounds and six assists last night as the Thunder beat up on the Celtics, 119-104. During that game OKC had a 30-3 run at one point in the first half. Oklahoma City shot 50 percent from the field, including 9 of 19 from 3-point range in the big win. The Lakers are also coming off a win last night, beating the Mavs. Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol each missed a pair of free throws with less than 40 seconds left to allow Dallas to hang around. The Lakers connected on just 18-of-31 free throws in the game. Prior to last night's game, where he scored just 15 points, Bryant had been on fire, connecting for more than 30 points per game in his last three contests. He's had a good career against the Thunder, averaging 26.7 points per game in 20 regular season and playoff games against the Thunder since Durant entered the league. Gasol had 24 with nine rebounds while Andrew Bynum added 19 and 14 boards Wednesday to help the Lakers improve to 6-11 away from Staples Center.
Free Pick: I like the Thunder in this game tonight, laying the six points. The biggest reason? The Lakers are an older team and playing in back-to-back road games could prove to be costly for them. It's the final game before the All-Star break, but OKC I think is the better overall team of the two right now. Six points seems like a lot against the Lakers, but OKC has been a great team at home this season. I think the combination of Durant and Westbrook might prove to be too much for the Lakers defensively tonight, even though LA does pose a big threat inside. Give me the younger team with the fresher legs.
Free Picks: Knicks at Heat Betting
Can LINsanity continue vs Heat and Heat are playing best basketball of the season plus other factors NBA bettors need to know about Knicks at Heat (Thursday, February 23, 2012) from Pregame.com - Including predictions from and Scott Spreitzer analysis from host Marco D'Angelo.